CVE-2026-23183

Kernel Oops via optionless dmem.max write

Published Feb 14, 2026 · Updated Feb 14, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel 6.14 through 6.18.9 allows local users with dmem.max write access to trigger a kernel Oops. The dmemcg_limit_write path parses a region name but can leave its options pointer null, then passes that pointer to strcmp without validating it. Reachability requires local permission to write the cgroup dmem.max file; an optionless region entry such as test/region0 reaches the faulty comparison and produces the documented Oops.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.16%
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 6.14 through 6.18.9 allows local users with dmem.max write access to trigger a kernel Oops. The dmemcg_limit_write path parses a region name but can leave its options pointer null, then passes that pointer to strcmp without validating it. Reachability requires local permission to write the cgroup dmem.max file; an optionless region entry such as test/region0 reaches the faulty comparison and produces the documented Oops.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23183
Published
Feb 14, 2026
Updated
Feb 14, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 14, 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=6.14
  2. Affected versionversion=b168ed458ddecc176f3b9a1f4bcd83d7a4541c14 <43151f812886be1855d2cba059f9c93e4729460b
  3. Affected versionversion=b168ed458ddecc176f3b9a1f4bcd83d7a4541c14 <c13816e8fa23deec6a8d7465d9e637fd02683b5c

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=6.14; version=b168ed458ddecc176f3b9a1f4bcd83d7a4541c14 <43151f812886be1855d2cba059f9c93e4729460b; version=b168ed458ddecc176f3b9a1f4bcd83d7a4541c14 <c13816e8fa23deec6a8d7465d9e637fd02683b5c

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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