CVE-2026-68178
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open
misc_open() installs a misc driver's file operations with fops_get(), which pins file_operations::owner before replacing the file's f_op. The NSM misc device leaves nsm_dev_fops.owner unset, so opening /dev/nsm does not take a module reference on the nsm driver.
If the driver is built as a module, an open file descriptor can therefore survive rmmod of the module that provides its ioctl callbacks. A later ioctl through that descriptor can call into unloaded module text.
Set nsm_dev_fops.owner to THIS_MODULE so the misc core holds the module while any /dev/nsm file descriptor is open, matching the lifetime expectation for the installed file operations.
CVSS
- Version: 3.1
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Base score: 7.8
Exploitation probability (EPSS)
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.18%
- Percentile among all scored CVEs: 6
- Score date: 10/5/2026
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
🎯 ATT&CK techniques
How this vulnerability is exploited and what the attacker gains, in MITRE ATT&CK terms.
- Exploitation
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalationprivilege escalation85 % - Primary impact
T1059Command and Scripting Interpreterexecution75 % - Secondary impact
T1499.004Application or System Exploitationimpact60 %
Acceso local (AV:L) con privilegios limitados (PR:L) sin interacción. Permite ejecutar código del módulo descargado mediante ioctl, escalando privilegios. DoS por crash del kernel también posible.
Inferred by our analysis agent from the official description, CVSS vector and CWE, and checked by a supervisor. May contain errors.
🛡️ ATT&CK mitigations that cover these techniques
Affected technologies (1)
⚠ AI-inferred from the description — NVD hasn't analyzed this CVE yet, these aren't verified CPEs.
References
Raw JSON (NVD)
Show
{
"id": "CVE-2026-68178",
"cveTags": [],
"metrics": {
"cvssMetricV31": [
{
"type": "Secondary",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"cvssData": {
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"version": "3.1",
"baseScore": 7.8,
"attackVector": "LOCAL",
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"integrityImpact": "HIGH",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"attackComplexity": "LOW",
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"privilegesRequired": "LOW",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH"
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"programFiles": [
"drivers/misc/nsm.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected"
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{
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"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
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"version": "6.8"
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{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
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},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.12.101",
"versionType": "semver",
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{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.18.42",
"versionType": "semver",
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{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.1.6",
"versionType": "semver",
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{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.2",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
"lessThanOrEqual": "*"
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],
"programFiles": [
"drivers/misc/nsm.c"
],
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],
"published": "2026-08-10T13:20:04.720",
"references": [
{
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"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}
],
"vulnStatus": "Received",
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nmisc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open\n\nmisc_open() installs a misc driver's file operations with fops_get(),\nwhich pins file_operations::owner before replacing the file's f_op. The\nNSM misc device leaves nsm_dev_fops.owner unset, so opening /dev/nsm does\nnot take a module reference on the nsm driver.\n\nIf the driver is built as a module, an open file descriptor can therefore\nsurvive rmmod of the module that provides its ioctl callbacks. A later\nioctl through that descriptor can call into unloaded module text.\n\nSet nsm_dev_fops.owner to THIS_MODULE so the misc core holds the module\nwhile any /dev/nsm file descriptor is open, matching the lifetime\nexpectation for the installed file operations."
}
],
"lastModified": "2026-08-17T05:18:19.463",
"sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}