---
id: "CVE-2026-98609"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-98609"]
title: "Linux kernel virtio-gpu: object leak when GEM handle creation fails"
severity: "unknown"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "other"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["linux-kernel", "other", "virtio-gpu", "virtual-machines"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-10-18T16:17:13+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-23T21:57:16+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-25T05:21:25+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98609", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-23T21:57:16+00:00"}]
---

# Linux kernel virtio-gpu: object leak when GEM handle creation fails

When creating a virtio-gpu buffer object fails at the handle step, the kernel drops the wrong reference, so the shared memory pages, scatter-gather table and host-side resource are never freed. The sources describe a resource leak and do not describe an attacker gaining access or running code.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## Timeline

- 2026-10-23T21:57:16+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98609

## From the sources

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

drm/virtio: fix object leak when drm_gem_handle_create() fails

virtio_gpu_gem_create() owns the reference taken by
virtio_gpu_object_create(). On the drm_gem_handle_create() error path it
calls drm_gem_object_release() instead of dropping that reference.

drm_gem_object_release() is the inverse of drm_gem_object_init() and does
not touch the reference count or call obj->funcs->free(), so it is only
correct as the last step of a destructor, as in
virtio_gpu_cleanup_object(). Using it here leaves the bo at refcount 1
with no remaining reference, so virtio_gpu_free_object() never runs and
the shmem pages, sg table and virtio_gpu_object are leaked. Since
virtio_gpu_object_create() has already set bo->created,
VIRTIO_GPU_CMD_RESOURCE_UNREF is not queued either, leaking the host-side
resource and the resource id.

drm_gem_handle_create_tail() drops the handle reference on all of its
internal error paths, so the caller only has to drop its own. Use
drm_gem_object_put(), matching the success path below.

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