CVE-2026-64183: efi: Allocate runtime workqueue before ACPI init

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-07-19 · updated 2026-08-11
Weakness: CWE-476

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: efi: Allocate runtime workqueue before ACPI init Since commit 5894cf571e14 ("acpi/prmt: Use EFI runtime sandbox to invoke PRM handlers") ACPI PRM calls are delegated to a workqueue which runs in a kernel thread, making it easier to detect and mitigate faulting memory accesses performed by the firmware. Rafael reports that such PRM accesses may occur before efisubsys_init() executes, which is where the workqueue is allocated, leading to NULL pointer dereferences. Since acpi_init() [which triggers the early PRM accesses] executes as a subsys_initcall() as well, and has its own dependencies that may be sensitive to initcall ordering, deferring acpi_init() is not an option. So instead, split off the workqueue allocation into its own postcore initcall, as this is the only missing piece to allow EFI runtime calls to be made. This ensures that EFI runtime call (including PRM calls) are accessible to all code running at subsys_initcall() level.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 6.6 before 6.6.142; from 6.7 before 6.12.92; from 6.13 before 6.18.34; from 6.19 before 7.0.11; 7.1-rc1, 7.1-rc2, 7.1-rc3, 7.1-rc4 — fixed in 6.12.92, 6.18.34, 6.6.142, 7.0.11

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.12.92, 6.18.34, 6.6.142, 7.0.11. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

Get alerted when CVE-2026-64183 or the next vulnerability affects your stack