CVE-2026-23251

Kernel crash via invalid XFS destructor calls

Published Mar 18, 2026 · Updated Mar 18, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in XFS online filesystem repair in Linux Kernel 6.10 and later allows local users to crash the kernel. Several XFS scrub repair cleanup paths call xfarray or xfblob destructors without first verifying that the stored pointer is valid, and they retain the pointer after destruction. Local access and low privileges are required; the documented consequence is an availability loss without confidentiality or integrity impact.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.12%
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 XFS online filesystem repair in Linux Kernel 6.10 and later allows local users to crash the kernel. Several XFS scrub repair cleanup paths call xfarray or xfblob destructors without first verifying that the stored pointer is valid, and they retain the pointer after destruction. Local access and low privileges are required; the documented consequence is an availability loss without confidentiality or integrity impact.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23251
Published
Mar 18, 2026
Updated
Mar 18, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 18, 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=6.10
  2. Affected versionversion=ab97f4b1c030750f2475bf4da8a9554d02206640 <5de5be3ed7e7fa4ebde4f4b58fb9a629644f9202
  3. Affected versionversion=ab97f4b1c030750f2475bf4da8a9554d02206640 <ba408d299a3bb3c5309f40c5326e4fb83ead4247
  4. Affected versionversion=ab97f4b1c030750f2475bf4da8a9554d02206640 <c9ccefacae0d8091683447bc338bd7741417039d
  5. Affected versionversion=ab97f4b1c030750f2475bf4da8a9554d02206640 <d827612c81a26cc1dd83a211cfcb5ad8765da0c4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=6.10; version=ab97f4b1c030750f2475bf4da8a9554d02206640 <5de5be3ed7e7fa4ebde4f4b58fb9a629644f9202; version=ab97f4b1c030750f2475bf4da8a9554d02206640 <ba408d299a3bb3c5309f40c5326e4fb83ead4247; version=ab97f4b1c030750f2475bf4da8a9554d02206640 <c9ccefacae0d8091683447bc338bd7741417039d; version=ab97f4b1c030750f2475bf4da8a9554d02206640 <d827612c81a26cc1dd83a211cfcb5ad8765da0c4

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
T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

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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