misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open (CVE-2026-68178) | HOL Guard CVE

High · CVSS 7.8CVE-2026-68178

misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-68178 records a High severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Aug 10, 2026Updated Aug 17, 2026Source checked Sep 24, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 10, 2026Material review Aug 17, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: High · CVSS 7.8
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 7.8. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Linux/Linuxgeneric	>=b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 <1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77 \|\| >=b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 <1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f \|\| >=b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 <9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920 \|\| >=b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 <3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9	1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77, 1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f, 9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920, 3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9
Linux/Linuxgeneric	6.8	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Linux/Linux, Linux/Linux.
Review the reported fix. Update Linux/Linux to 1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77 if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Aug 10, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Aug 17, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Aug 10, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

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.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.