Affects Linux KVM (widely used in cloud and virtualization). Can crash hosts or enable guest-to-host compromise; impacts many orgs and infrastructure providers.
CVE-2026-74517
Linux KVM IOAPIC delayed EOI use-after-free can crash hosts or enable guest-to-host compromise.
Is CVE-2026-74517 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-74517 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.14% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-74517?
CVE-2026-74517 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.3. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-74517?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-74517. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-74517 affect?
CVE-2026-74517 affects Linux kernel (x86) with KVM, KVM/QEMU hosts, Cloud hypervisors, Virtual machine hosts. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-74517?
Apply vendor/kernel KVM updates and reboot hosts; isolate untrusted guests until patched.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
A guest can trigger a host kernel use-after-free via KVM IOAPIC EOI handling, causing host crash or possible guest-to-host code execution/privilege escalation.
Immediate action required
- affected>= c60f5156e62d0be6c53373b623f16a9e37e2208e and < 69d040448067cebdd5598684db36ce7d8fb2f43e
- affected>= 17bcd714426386fda741a4bccd96a2870179344b and < 5f0a99ea721203a4063618aafcca32abf573cb96
- affected>= 17bcd714426386fda741a4bccd96a2870179344b and < ed56a6b58222f9c1f4115a0bd2788dd6ed6022e2
- affected>= 17bcd714426386fda741a4bccd96a2870179344b and < 9910e835580fef3bef53b70241dd00c4bffad693
- affected>= 6.12.41 and < 6.12.105
- affected6.14
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.