Deadlock in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-68096
Published: August 13, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU142232
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4: 6.8 [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]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-68096
CWE-ID: CWE-833
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service.
The vulnerability exists due to a recursive locking deadlock in audit_dupe_exe() in the Linux kernel audit subsystem when handling file move events for executable audit rules. A local user can move a file that matches an existing executable audit rule to cause a denial of service.
Exploitation requires an existing executable audit rule that matches the file being moved.
Affected software
Linux kernel
Ubuntu
linux-gcp-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
Ubuntu
linux-gcp-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
How to mitigate CVE-2026-68096
Install security update from vendor's repository.
Linux kernel - update to 7.0 rc3
linux-gcp-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 7.0.0-38.38~24.04.4, 7.0.0-1013.13~24.04.1, 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1
linux-azure-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 7.0.0-1016.16~24.04.1, 7.0.0-1017.17~24.04.1
linux-gcp-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 7.0.0-38.38~24.04.4, 7.0.0-1013.13~24.04.1, 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1
linux-azure-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 7.0.0-1016.16~24.04.1, 7.0.0-1017.17~24.04.1
External References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/36eb77f14b4e6f2dc1008c1fabe31236397be27a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b601938314c24fcd1afb6659cad92fe96c9c2f8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40879c39d6740f3dddfb52b5d6ba7fb8cceb84d8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7d1f66c69898ffb1a718926c32a777ecc471caca
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/81905b5acbe77284734438df3fbec1158e6429a3