sched/psi: fix race between file release and pressure write (Linux Linux)
At a glance
- Source
- NVD
- EPSS
- EPSS 0.14 % · percentile 3 ()
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- Updated
- Assigner
- Linux
- NVD status
- Modified
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/psi: fix race between file release and pressure write A potential race condition exists between pressure write and cgroup file release regarding the priv member of struct kernfs_open_file, which triggers the uaf reported in [1]. Consider the following scenario involving execution on two separate CPUs: CPU0 CPU1 ==== ==== vfs_rmdir() kernfs_iop_rmdir() cgroup_rmdir() cgroup_kn_lock_live() cgroup_destroy_locked() cgroup_addrm_files() cgroup_rm_file() kernfs_remove_by_name() kernfs_remove_by_name_ns() vfs_write() __kernfs_remove() new_sync_write() kernfs_drain() kernfs_fop_write_iter() kernfs_drain_open_files() cgroup_file_write() kernfs_release_file() pressure_write() cgroup_file_release() ctx = of->priv; kfree(ctx); of->priv = NULL; cgroup_kn_unlock() cgroup_kn_lock_live() cgroup_get(cgrp) cgroup_kn_unlock() if (ctx->psi.trigger) // here, trigger uaf for ctx, that is of->priv The cgroup_rmdir() is protected by the cgroup_mutex, it also safeguards the memory deallocation of of->priv performed within cgroup_file_release(). However, the operations involving of->priv executed within pressure_write() are not entirely covered by the protection of cgroup_mutex. Consequently, if the code in pressure_write(), specifically the section handling the ctx variable executes after cgroup_file_release() has completed, a uaf vulnerability involving of->priv is triggered. Therefore, the issue can be resolved by extending the scope of the cgroup_mutex lock within pressure_write() to encompass all code paths involving of->priv, thereby properly synchronizing the race condition occurring between cgroup_file_release() and pressure_write(). And, if an live kn lock can be successfully acquired while executing the pressure write operation, it indicates that the cgroup deletion process has not yet reached its final stage; consequently, the priv pointer within open_file cannot be NULL. Therefore, the operation to retrieve the ctx value must be moved to a point *after* the live kn lock has been successfully acquired. In another situation, specifically after entering cgroup_kn_lock_live() but before acquiring cgroup_mutex, there exists a different class of race condition: CPU0: write memory.pressure CPU1: write cgroup.pressure=0 =========================== ============================= kernfs_fop_write_iter() kernfs_get_active_of(of) pressure_write() cgroup_kn_lock_live(memory.pressure) cgroup_tryget(cgrp) kernfs_break_active_protection(kn) ... blocks on cgroup_mutex cgroup_pressure_write() cgroup_kn_lock_live(cgroup.pressure) cgroup_file_show(memory.pressure, false) kernfs_show(false) kernfs_drain_open_files() cgroup_file_release(of) kfree(ctx) of->priv = NULL cgroup_kn_unlock() ... acquires cgroup_mutex ctx = of->priv; // may now be NULL if (ctx->psi.trigger) // NULL dereference Consequently, there is a possibility that of->priv is NULL, the pressure write needs to check for this. Now that the scope of the cgroup_mutex has been expanded, the original explicit cgroup_get/put operations are no longer necessary, this is because acquiring/releasing the live kn lock inherently executes a cgroup get/put operation. [1] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in pressure_write+0xa4/0x210 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c:4011 Call Trace: pressure_write+0xa4/0x210 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c:4011 cgroup_file_write+0x36f/0x790 kernel/cgroup/cgroup.c:43 ---truncated---
Weaknesses (CWE)
- CWE-367 — Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
- CWE-362 — Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/58e6ca11e45c9d6e52255d1135e7dbff0a360334
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d8ddbc3330fa6851c56b046e630a8fc64830a0ce
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af0638534bfae7980582c6482531a0872f8ee341
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/03dc070fa0fc3cb4068693f468ccd5f8a7e58282
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4352c0709bfd38c752fccbde7fd72a82ac78f23
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a5b98009f16d8a5fb4a8ff9a193f5735515c38fa
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-52991
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492403
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-52991.json
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57251
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57252
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57253
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57254
Scores
| Version | Score | Vector | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | Linux |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.0 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | redhat-SADP |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | NVD · 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 (Secondary) |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.0 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | NVD · 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c (Secondary) |
European references
- ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-38859
- GCVE · GCVE-0-2026-52991
CERT-FR advisories
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1256 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBM · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1255 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux de SUSE · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1252 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1229 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1203 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1162 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1091 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux de SUSE · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1066 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-1065 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux de Red Hat · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-0954 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2026-AVI-0926 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
Affected configurations (NVD CPE)
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*≥ 5.2 < 6.18.33cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*≥ 6.19 < 7.0.10cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
Affected products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| Linux · Linux | affected 0e94682b73bfa6c44c98af7a26771c9c08c055d5 < 58e6ca11e45c9d6e52255d1135e7dbff0a360334 ; affected 0e94682b73bfa6c44c98af7a26771c9c08c055d5 < d8ddbc3330fa6851c56b046e630a8fc64830a0ce ; affected 0e94682b73bfa6c44c98af7a26771c9c08c055d5 < af0638534bfae7980582c6482531a0872f8ee341 ; affected 0e94682b73bfa6c44c98af7a26771c9c08c055d5 < 03dc070fa0fc3cb4068693f468ccd5f8a7e58282 ; affected 0e94682b73bfa6c44c98af7a26771c9c08c055d5 < d4352c0709bfd38c752fccbde7fd72a82ac78f23 ; affected 0e94682b73bfa6c44c98af7a26771c9c08c055d5 < a5b98009f16d8a5fb4a8ff9a193f5735515c38fa |
| Linux · Linux | affected 5.2 ; unaffected 0 < 5.2 ; unaffected 6.1.191 ≤ 6.1.* ; unaffected 6.6.160 ≤ 6.6.* ; unaffected 6.12.114 ≤ 6.12.* ; unaffected 6.18.33 ≤ 6.18.* |
Sources
| Source | Licence |
|---|---|
| CVE List (CVEProject cvelistV5) | CVE Program Terms of Use |
| EPSS (FIRST.org) | FIRST — attribution requested |
| ENISA EUVD | ENISA — reproduction authorised, source acknowledged |
| CERT-FR (ANSSI) | Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0 |
| NVD (NIST) via fkie-cad/nvd-json-data-feeds | Public domain — this product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD |