---
id: CVE-2026-98466
title: >-
  kernel: KVM: arm64: Transfer the hyp stack pages out of the host stage-2
  (CVE-2026-98466)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
  subsystem on ARM64 platforms. During system initialization in protected
  virtualization modes, the hypervisor fails to revoke host stage-2 access
  permissions for per-…
severity: high
cvss: 8.2
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-653
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-24'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-24T14:22:44+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98466.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98466.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98466'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2554835'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98466'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98466'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98466.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e5dd2a91a7ae3a276e6d79806127e923936e241b'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/22df195bff84300a3f04813d6148765c77ac565a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a8c562892b96f35bba1e00d5e455a15963bbb92'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00168
epssPercentile: 0.06115
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T15:45:12.301Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) subsystem on ARM64 platforms. During system initialization in protected virtualization modes, the hypervisor fails to revoke host stage-2 access permissions for per-CPU hypervisor stack memory pages. A privileged local host can exploit this flaw to inspect or alter sensitive hypervisor stack data, resulting in a bypass of hypervisor isolation and potential privilege escalation.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Important · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-10-24 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98466.json)

**kernel: KVM: arm64: Transfer the hyp stack pages out of the host stage-2** — rated Important by Red Hat. Released 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-24.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

## Remediation

Fix deferred

Workarounds / mitigations:

- --- CME Mitigation Guidance (2026-10-20) ---
Disclaimer: The following mitigation solutions are provided as a courtesy, pending the application of an official patch. This content was generated utilizing AI tools in conjunction with data from https://cmetaxonomy.org. Customers are advised to independently evaluate and test these temporary mitigations within their own infrastructure.

The highest-value action is to revoke host stage-2 page-table mappings for per-CPU hypervisor stack memory during…