A bug in the Linux kernel’s PowerPC XIVE interrupt handling caused an unreferenced memory allocation during MSI‑X vector setup for NVMe devices. The leaked object remains allocated after the IRQ domain is freed due to an incorrect lookup of chipset data, resulting in a constant memory leak. If the kernel runs for extended periods, this leak can accumulate, exhausting available RAM and potentially crashing or destabilizing the system, effectively creating a local denial of service condition.

The vulnerability affects any Linux kernel that incorporates the PowerPC XIVE driver, specifically systems running on powerpc architecture where the XIVE interrupt controller is used. Exact kernel version ranges are not listed in the CVE data, so all affected builds may be at risk until the patch is applied.

The EPSS score is less than 1%, indicating a very low probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog and is therefore not known to have been actively exploited. The bug can be triggered by any process that initiates MSI‑X vector allocation for an NVMe device, implying that a local attacker or misbehaving device driver could exploit it. The damage is confined to the affected host and requires local or privileged access to the kernel. The primary exploitation path is the normal operation of NVMe drivers during boot or runtime, which invokes the problematic code path.