Use-after-free in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-97938

Vulnerability details

The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service.

The vulnerability exists due to a use-after-free race condition in cad_pid pointer handling when concurrently accessing the cad_pid sysctl from user and PID namespaces. A local user can trigger concurrent sysctl operations to cause a denial of service.

Affected software

How to mitigate CVE-2026-97938

External References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5a88f78df753993469dab4d1831f8fb4256a9468
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a17b0e053197a6a42cdc75e75a35b17aa662088
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad72e2566643fff7f01666d845fb026898155e1f

Related Security Bulletins

• Use-after-free in Linux kernel cad_pid handling in the reboot subsystem