---
id: CVE-2026-45968
title: 'cpuidle: Skip governor when only one idle state is available'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  cpuidle: Skip governor when only one idle state is available

  On certain platforms (PowerNV systems without a power-mgt DT node),
  cpuidle may register only a single idl…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 <
    a0f7e804edc82e513d1ccb7c95ed8b351522ec81
  - >-
    Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 <
    5d103a38e2ae96eca57fd17161bcd29bd4622d1c
  - >-
    Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 <
    4da2b897283c39980d6ae09dc1560fcd937879e5
  - >-
    Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 <
    5c577ac939bca486cb02069505cfe47a5312ce02
  - >-
    Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 <
    8f6833d919bae915ead6c599a53e81e19b32da52
  - >-
    Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 <
    63ae78336f40bcd9a44952a7c6bafb9c88a8effd
  - >-
    Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 <
    a0724e40a58a0e323c59707edeae5b71d15800dc
  - >-
    Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 <
    e5c9ffc6ae1bcdb1062527d611043681ac301aca
  - Linux 4.14
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-06T16:03:23.657004Z'
published: '2026-05-27'
updated: '2026-11-06'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-06T16:13:28.911Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45968'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0f7e804edc82e513d1ccb7c95ed8b351522ec81'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d103a38e2ae96eca57fd17161bcd29bd4622d1c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4da2b897283c39980d6ae09dc1560fcd937879e5'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5c577ac939bca486cb02069505cfe47a5312ce02'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8f6833d919bae915ead6c599a53e81e19b32da52'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63ae78336f40bcd9a44952a7c6bafb9c88a8effd'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0724e40a58a0e323c59707edeae5b71d15800dc'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e5c9ffc6ae1bcdb1062527d611043681ac301aca'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.0013
epssPercentile: 0.02675
ingestedAt: '2026-11-06T16:57:43.358Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

cpuidle: Skip governor when only one idle state is available

On certain platforms (PowerNV systems without a power-mgt DT node),
cpuidle may register only a single idle state. In cases where that
single state is a polling state (state 0), the ladder governor may
incorrectly treat state 1 as the first usable state and pass an
out-of-bounds index. This can lead to a NULL enter callback being
invoked, ultimately resulting in a system crash.

[   13.342636] cpuidle-powernv : Only Snooze is available
[   13.351854] Faulting instruction address: 0x00000000
[   13.376489] NIP [0000000000000000] 0x0
[   13.378351] LR  [c000000001e01974] cpuidle_enter_state+0x2c4/0x668

Fix this by adding a bail-out in cpuidle_select() that returns state 0
directly when state_count <= 1, bypassing the governor and keeping the
tick running.

## Affected

- `Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 < a0f7e804edc82e513d1ccb7c95ed8b351522ec81`
- `Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 < 5d103a38e2ae96eca57fd17161bcd29bd4622d1c`
- `Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 < 4da2b897283c39980d6ae09dc1560fcd937879e5`
- `Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 < 5c577ac939bca486cb02069505cfe47a5312ce02`
- `Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 < 8f6833d919bae915ead6c599a53e81e19b32da52`
- `Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 < 63ae78336f40bcd9a44952a7c6bafb9c88a8effd`
- `Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 < a0724e40a58a0e323c59707edeae5b71d15800dc`
- `Linux >= dc2251bf98c66db3f4e055b751968f0871037ae4 < e5c9ffc6ae1bcdb1062527d611043681ac301aca`
- `Linux 4.14`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.