CVE-2026-23404Public exploit

System crash via recursive nested-profile removal

Published Apr 1, 2026 · Updated Apr 1, 2026

Denial of service in AppArmor in affected Linux Kernel versions allows local users to crash the system via nested profile removal. The __aa_profile_list_release() path recursively releases attacker-created nested profiles until kernel stack exhaustion occurs. Local low-privileged access and permission to create and remove AppArmor profiles are required; successful exploitation crashes the host.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.18%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in AppArmor in affected Linux Kernel versions allows local users to crash the system via nested profile removal. The __aa_profile_list_release() path recursively releases attacker-created nested profiles until kernel stack exhaustion occurs. Local low-privileged access and permission to create and remove AppArmor profiles are required; successful exploitation crashes the host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23404
Published
Apr 1, 2026
Updated
Apr 1, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

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

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=2.6.36
  2. Affected versionversion=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <33959a491e9fd557abfa5fce5ae4637d400915d3
  3. Affected versionversion=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <7eade846e013cbe8d2dc4a484463aa19e6515c7f
  4. Affected versionversion=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <999bd704b0b641527a5ed46f0d969deff8cfa68b
  5. Affected versionversion=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <a6a941a1294ac5abe22053dc501d25aed96e48fe
  6. Affected versionversion=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <ab09264660f9de5d05d1ef4e225aa447c63a8747

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=2.6.36; version=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <33959a491e9fd557abfa5fce5ae4637d400915d3; version=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <7eade846e013cbe8d2dc4a484463aa19e6515c7f; version=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <999bd704b0b641527a5ed46f0d969deff8cfa68b; version=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <a6a941a1294ac5abe22053dc501d25aed96e48fe; version=c88d4c7b049e87998ac0a9f455aa545cc895ef92 <ab09264660f9de5d05d1ef4e225aa447c63a8747

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.

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 exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

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

Public exploit references

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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