misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open
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.
CVE-2026-68178
Primary source · Revision 1
Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.
Security context
Source reference: cve:CVE-2026-68178
Linux
Source reference: /containers/cna/affected/0/product
- Affected versions
- Not stated in this record
- Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Linux
Source reference: /containers/cna/affected/1/product
- Affected versions
- Not stated in this record
- Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Structured affected-version data
Original package identities and version rules from this source.
[
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749",
"lessThan": "1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749",
"lessThan": "1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749",
"lessThan": "9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749",
"lessThan": "3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9",
"versionType": "git"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"drivers/misc/nsm.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected"
},
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "6.8"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"lessThan": "6.8",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.12.101",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.18.42",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.1.6",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "7.1.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.2",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
"lessThanOrEqual": "*"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"drivers/misc/nsm.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "affected"
}
]- Related CVEs
- CVE-2026-68178
Source reference:
/cveMetadata/cveId
Publisher severity
high
Source reference: /containers/cna/metrics
- Event
- #41149 · Revision 1
- Added to Heist Feed
- Publisher date