Linux: Reachable Assertion
CVE-2026-52952 is a high-severity reachable assertion vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 8fc289e809f3eb7e36cadc4684ab6fad747a5a93, 5474e6e17a262db45c60575c73f70210f5c7001f as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.18% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to 8fc289e809f3eb7e36cadc4684ab6fad747a5a93 or 5474e6e17a262db45c60575c73f70210f5c7001f, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 7.0.10 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | c279e83953d937470f8a6e69b69f62608714f13f up to, but not including, 8fc289e809f3eb7e36cadc4684ab6fad747a5a93; c279e83953d937470f8a6e69b69f62608714f13f up to, but not including, 5474e6e17a262db45c60575c73f70210f5c7001f; 7.0 | 8fc289e809f3eb7e36cadc4684ab6fad747a5a93, 5474e6e17a262db45c60575c73f70210f5c7001f |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 7.0 up to, but not including, 7.0.10; 7.1 | 7.0.10 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.8 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.0 | High | CNA |
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu: Fix WARN_ON in __iommu_group_set_domain_nofail() due to reset In __iommu_group_set_domain_internal(), concurrent domain attachments are rejected when any device in the group is recovering. This is necessary to fence concurrent attachments to a multi-device group where devices might share the same RID due to PCI DMA alias quirks, but triggers the WARN_ON in __iommu_group_set_domain_nofail(). Other IOMMU_SET_DOMAIN_MUST_SUCCEED callers in detach/teardown paths, such as __iommu_group_set_core_domain and __iommu_release_dma_ownership, should not be rejected, as the domain would be freed anyway in these nofail paths while group->domain is still pointing to it. So pci_dev_reset_iommu_done() could trigger a UAF when re-attaching group->domain. Honor the IOMMU_SET_DOMAIN_MUST_SUCCEED flag, allowing the callers through the group->recovery_cnt fence, so as to update the group->domain pointer. Instead add a gdev->blocked check in the device iteration loop, to prevent any concurrent per-device detachment.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Reachable Assertion
The product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- If the assertion statement is required (e.g., for security or reliability), change the invoking code to avoid the conditions that trigger the assertion.
- Consider changing the assertion to some other less fatal error. This might not be easy to implement, since other code may be needed to handle the error.
- Make sensitive open/close operations non-reachable from directly user-controlled data (e.g. open/close resources)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Third-party and government advisories
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-52952Third Party Advisory
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492422Third Party Advisory
- security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-52952.jsonThird Party Advisory
Recent Reachable Assertion vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.7 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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