Linux kernel vulnerability affects IPMI subsystem on many servers/BMCs; can impact server stability and security across datacenters and enterprise infrastructure.
CVE-2026-81004
Linux kernel IPMI startup bug can leave scheduled work causing memory corruption.
Is CVE-2026-81004 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-81004 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 0.18% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-81004?
CVE-2026-81004 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.4. 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-2026-81004?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-81004. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-81004 affect?
CVE-2026-81004 affects Linux kernel (IPMI subsystem), Physical servers with IPMI/BMC interfaces. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-81004?
Apply kernel security updates and reboot affected hosts immediately
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Memory corruption/use-after-free during IPMI startup may lead to kernel crash, local privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution on affected hosts.
Patch when possible
- affected>= edb6c2118293c1fba9cd11ca80ed043d2411a7e5 and < 99692252b348c11377fd0cdd66b6b18f3b22758e
- affected>= 62cd145453d577113f993efd025f258dd86aa183 and < a496c51dd3257ed7e00873af2ad9bb22c3ddc4cf
- affected>= 62cd145453d577113f993efd025f258dd86aa183 and < ae84a2536577057e97f23f75a202e26d0e86cf01
- affected5199fc5dc9c519115457406009fcefd50721c995
- affected>= 6.18.20 and < 6.18.50
- affected>= 6.19.10 and < 6.20
- affected7.0
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.