Kernel memory corruption via stale XFS buffer
Published May 6, 2026 · Updated May 6, 2026
Use-after-free in the XFS extended-attribute path in affected Linux Kernel releases allows local users to corrupt kernel memory via xattr operations. xfs_attr_leaf_hasname returns a non-NULL pointer to an already released xfs_buf when xfs_attr3_leaf_lookup_int fails with errors other than -ENOATTR or -EEXIST. Triggering requires a mounted XFS filesystem and an extended-attribute operation that produces such a lookup error; releasing the stale pointer again can corrupt kernel memory or crash the system.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the XFS extended-attribute path in affected Linux Kernel releases allows local users to corrupt kernel memory via xattr operations. xfs_attr_leaf_hasname returns a non-NULL pointer to an already released xfs_buf when xfs_attr3_leaf_lookup_int fails with errors other than -ENOATTR or -EEXIST. Triggering requires a mounted XFS filesystem and an extended-attribute operation that produces such a lookup error; releasing the stale pointer again can corrupt kernel memory or crash the system.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-43153
- Published
- May 6, 2026
- Updated
- May 6, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 6, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 6, 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.
- Affected versionversion=07120f1abdff80f3d1351f733661abe28d609535 <2fbc8421d1db102c0e5458607e042a23a03648b1
- Affected versionversion=07120f1abdff80f3d1351f733661abe28d609535 <3a65ea768b8094e4699e72f9ab420eb9e0f3f568
- Affected versionversion=07120f1abdff80f3d1351f733661abe28d609535 <457121c01f609b9934addbb04d5c1ef638c71c61
- Affected versionversion=07120f1abdff80f3d1351f733661abe28d609535 <530082df991903f3330354e99e0cb7b05debfa86
- Affected versionversion=5.9
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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