CISA KEV adds VMware ESX, Linux kernel flaws
CISA added CVE-2026-41709 (VMware ESX logging flaw) and CVE-2026-46300 (Linux kernel flaw) to its KEV catalog as actively exploited.
Sourcecisa.gov — open the original
What to check
- Applies to
- The 2 CVEs named below. Whether you run an affected version is not assessed: check the versions the source lists.
- Exploitation
- CISA lists CVE-2026-41709 and CVE-2026-46300 as exploited in the wild.
CISA has added two vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog based on confirmed evidence of active exploitation. The first, CVE-2026-41709, affects Broadcom VMware ESX and is described as an insufficient logging vulnerability, which could allow attackers to evade detection or forensic analysis post-compromise. The second, CVE-2026-46300, is a missing initialization of a variable vulnerability in the Linux kernel, a class of flaw that can lead to information disclosure or privilege escalation depending on the affected code path.
Under Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04, Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies must prioritize remediation of KEV Catalog entries that grant total control of an asset post-exploitation, especially on internet-facing systems, and must assess whether systems were compromised prior to patching. While BOD 26-04 is mandatory only for FCEB agencies, CISA recommends all organizations treat KEV Catalog entries as high-priority patching targets given confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.
Defenders running VMware ESX or Linux systems should identify affected versions, apply vendor patches as they become available, and review logging and monitoring configurations—particularly important given the ESX flaw's nature involves insufficient logging, which may hamper incident detection and response efforts.
Mentioned in this report
Source reporting: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2026/10/28/cisa-adds-two-known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
Free public brief. Slack alerts on the vendors you run come with the paid plans, and a new account gets three days of them, no card.
What this brief leaves out
This page is the free tier: the write-up, the severity, the names. In the app the same report carries live profiles of the CVEs it names. The paid plans add the security research and news reporting the free tier leaves out.
It sits in a corpus of 16,433 reports from 149 sources, 661 of them written in the last seven days, and it grows through the day.
A new account starts with three days of all of it, no card, then keeps the government and CERT reporting free. Slack alerts are a paid-plan feature: name the vendors you run and Slack hears about the reports that touch them, not the rest of the week's. Nothing is charged unless you subscribe.
Create a free account What it costs