NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-99160
Published: October 29, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU158423
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4: 6.8 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-99160
CWE-ID: CWE-476
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service by triggering a kernel NULL pointer dereference.
The vulnerability exists due to a null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel ring-buffer rbm_start() function when reading buffer metadata for a CPU that has never come online. A local user can read the corresponding per_cpu/cpuN/buffer_meta file to trigger access to an unallocated CPU buffer and potentially crash the kernel.
Affected software
Linux kernel
Debian Linux
linux (Debian package)
Debian Linux
linux (Debian package)
How to mitigate CVE-2026-99160
Install security update from vendor's repository.
Linux kernel - update to 7.0 rc3
linux (Debian package) - update to 6.12.115-2
linux (Debian package) - update to 6.12.115-2