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CVE-2026-74516

8.2 · HIGH

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: SVM: Update x2APIC MSR intercepts if AVIC is inhibited while L2 is active Always update x2APIC MSR intercepts for L1 when…

Published Aug 15, 2026EPSS 0.14%

Overview

CVE-2026-74516 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on August 15, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical description

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

KVM: SVM: Update x2APIC MSR intercepts if AVIC is inhibited while L2 is active

Always update x2APIC MSR intercepts for L1 when AVIC is deactivated, even

if L2 is active and KVM is using a separate MSR bitmap to run L2. If AVIC

is fully enabled prior to running L2, and is then inhibited while L2 is

active (for a VM-scoped inhibit), then KVM will run L1 with AVIC disabled,

but with x2APIC MSR intercepts disabled, i.e. will allow L1 to read most of

the host's APIC state, send arbitrary interrupts, change task priority, and

ultimately trivially DoS the host.

E.g. sending a self-IPI in L1 on HYPERV_REENLIGHTENMENT_VECTOR, 0xee, with

CONFIG_HYPERV=n in the host kernel as a "safe" PoC, yields:

Spurious interrupt (vector 0xee) on CPU#425. Acked

And hacking KVM to abuse kvm_set_posted_intr_wakeup_handler() to register a

handler and WARN on POSTED_INTR_WAKEUP_VECTOR yields:

------------[ cut here ]------------

WARNI

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-74516?

CVE-2026-74516 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on August 15, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-74516?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-74516?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-74516?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-74516 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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