CVE-2026-90243: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down c
Summary
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Intel IOMMU (input/output memory management unit, which controls how devices access system memory) driver could allow hardware to fetch incomplete data because the Present bit (a flag indicating valid data) wasn't cleared before erasing a context entry. This timing gap could cause unpredictable behavior or false errors because the hardware might read partially zeroed data while the entry still appears valid.
Solution / Mitigation
Clear only the Present bit first, flush it to the IOMMU, perform the invalidations (cache clears), and only then zero the remainder of the entry. As the source states: 'Apply the same ownership handshake described in the VT-d spec, Section 6.5.3.3 ("Guidance to Software for Invalidations"): clear only the Present bit, flush it out to the IOMMU, perform the invalidations, and only then zero the remainder of the entry.'
Vulnerability Details
EPSS: 0.0%
September 17, 2026
Classification
Original source: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90243
First tracked: September 17, 2026 at 02:07 PM
Classified by LLM (prompt v3) · confidence: 95%