NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-52938
Published: June 25, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU135435
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-52938
CWE-ID: CWE-476
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vendor: Linux Foundation
Affected software:
Linux kernel
Linux kernel
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service.
The vulnerability exists due to a NULL pointer dereference in bpf_sk_storage_clone() and bpf_sk_storage_diag_put_all() when processing socket local storage entries during concurrent access. A local user can trigger concurrent operations that leave smap as NULL while the storage element remains visible to RCU readers to cause a denial of service.
The issue arises in the BPF socket storage handling paths under a race condition involving RCU readers.
How to mitigate CVE-2026-52938
Install security update from vendor's repository.