Status: UPDATED | Advisory ID: CVE-2026-97903
| CVE | CVE-2026-97903 |
| CVSS Score / Version | 7.8 (High) / CVSS v3.1 |
| Updated | 2026-09-25 |
| CVSS Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| CVSS Prose | attack vector is local; attack complexity is low; privileges required is low; user interaction is none; scope is unchanged; confidentiality impact is high; integrity impact is high; availability impact is high. |
| Affected products | Linux Linux |
| Vendor | Product | Affected Versions | Patch Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
| Subsystems | General OT |
| Sectors | Multiple |
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
exit: hold a reference to thread_pid across proc_flush_pid
Commit 0a36bad01731 ("release_task: kill the no longer needed
get/put_pid(thread_pid)") removed the reference around proc_flush_pid().
It assumed that free_pids(post.pids) at the end of release_task() would
keep thread_pid alive until then.
That assumption is wrong. __change_pid() only records a detached PID in
post.pids when pid_has_task() is false for every PIDTYPE. If another task
still uses the exiting task's PID as its process group or session ID,
__unhash_process() removes the exiting task's PIDTYPE_PID link but leaves
the PID out of post.pids. release_task() therefore holds no reference to
it after dropping tasklist_lock.
The other task can then remove the remaining PIDTYPE links. Its
free_pids() call schedules delayed_put_pid(), and the RCU callback can free
the PID before the first release_task() reaches proc_flush_pid().
An unprivileged reproducer races wait4(-1) against setsid() to trigger this
ordering. Three of three fresh v7.2 KASAN boots reported:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in
proc_invalidate_siblings_dcache+0x3e2/0x3f0
Read of size 8 by task h7_pid_reaper/1921
Call Trace:
proc_invalidate_siblings_dcache
release_task
wait_consider_task
__do_wait
do_wait
kernel_wait4
Freed by task 0:
kmem_cache_free
put_pid
delayed_put_pid
rcu_core
Last potentially related work creation:
__call_rcu_common
free_pids
ksys_setsid
KASAN identified a 144-byte object from the pid cache and located the bad
read 80 bytes into the freed object, matching pid->inodes. With an
explicit reference, three of three fresh boots completed without a KASAN
report. The concurrent RCU callback dropped its reference while
proc_flush_pid() was protected, and the balancing put_pid() performed the
final free afterward.
Take a reference before __unhash_process() clears p->thread_pid and release
it after proc_flush_pid() completes.
A tested source reproducer is available privately on request. No
controlled read or write, information leak, or privilege escalation is
claimed. The mainline patch applies directly to v6.19.y and newer;
v6.16.y through v6.18.y need a context-adjusted backport. (NVD)
Monitor Linux's web page for any future patch releases.
| Source | Reference |
|---|---|
| NVD | https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97903 |
| CVE | https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97903 |