CVE-2026-23088

Kernel crash via mislabeled synthetic stacktrace field

Published Feb 4, 2026 · Updated Feb 4, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel tracing allows local users to crash the kernel via crafted synthetic stacktrace events. trace_event_raw_event_synth() retrieves metadata for a reused stacktrace field as though it were an ordinary field, while later code treats that reference as a dynamic array and dereferences an invalid address. Reachability requires local privileges sufficient to configure and enable tracefs synthetic events; successful triggering crashes the kernel.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.13%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel tracing allows local users to crash the kernel via crafted synthetic stacktrace events. trace_event_raw_event_synth() retrieves metadata for a reused stacktrace field as though it were an ordinary field, while later code treats that reference as a dynamic array and dereferences an invalid address. Reachability requires local privileges sufficient to configure and enable tracefs synthetic events; successful triggering crashes the kernel.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23088
Published
Feb 4, 2026
Updated
Feb 4, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 4, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 4, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=00cf3d672a9dd409418647e9f98784c339c3ff63 <327af07dff6ab5650b21491eb4f69694999ff3d1
  2. Affected versionversion=00cf3d672a9dd409418647e9f98784c339c3ff63 <3b90d099efa2b67239bd3b3dc3521ec584261748
  3. Affected versionversion=00cf3d672a9dd409418647e9f98784c339c3ff63 <90f9f5d64cae4e72defd96a2a22760173cb3c9ec
  4. Affected versionversion=00cf3d672a9dd409418647e9f98784c339c3ff63 <98ecbfb2598c9c7ca755a29f402da9d36c057077
  5. Affected versionversion=5f52389bdd9eafb63b3a2f804e02aeb17b6a5f55
  6. Affected versionversion=6.3
  7. Affected versionversion=b9453380c1c542fd095a4dbe9251eeba4022bbce
  8. Affected versionversion=f3baa42afeea0d5f04ad31525e861199d02210cc

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=00cf3d672a9dd409418647e9f98784c339c3ff63 <327af07dff6ab5650b21491eb4f69694999ff3d1; version=00cf3d672a9dd409418647e9f98784c339c3ff63 <3b90d099efa2b67239bd3b3dc3521ec584261748; version=00cf3d672a9dd409418647e9f98784c339c3ff63 <90f9f5d64cae4e72defd96a2a22760173cb3c9ec; version=00cf3d672a9dd409418647e9f98784c339c3ff63 <98ecbfb2598c9c7ca755a29f402da9d36c057077; version=5f52389bdd9eafb63b3a2f804e02aeb17b6a5f55; version=6.3; version=b9453380c1c542fd095a4dbe9251eeba4022bbce; version=f3baa42afeea0d5f04ad31525e861199d02210cc

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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