Kernel memory corruption via dangling kthread affinity node
Published May 8, 2026 · Updated May 8, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux Kernel kthread subsystem allows remote attackers to corrupt kernel memory through a kthread exit path. make_task_dead() bypasses kthread_exit(), leaving affinity_node linked when free_kthread_struct() releases the object; a later list_del() writes through dangling pointers into reused memory. No public source identifies the network-facing subsystem that reaches this lifecycle; the documented result is RCU callback corruption and a kernel crash.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux Kernel kthread subsystem allows remote attackers to corrupt kernel memory through a kthread exit path. make_task_dead() bypasses kthread_exit(), leaving affinity_node linked when free_kthread_struct() releases the object; a later list_del() writes through dangling pointers into reused memory. No public source identifies the network-facing subsystem that reaches this lifecycle; the documented result is RCU callback corruption and a kernel crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-43402
- Published
- May 8, 2026
- Updated
- May 8, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1499
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 8, 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=4d13f4304fa43471bfea101658a11feec7b28ac0 <28aaa9c39945b7925a1cc1d513c8f21ed38f5e4f
- Affected versionversion=4d13f4304fa43471bfea101658a11feec7b28ac0 <4729c7b00a347fd37d0cbc265b85f2884c3e06b6
- Affected versionversion=4d13f4304fa43471bfea101658a11feec7b28ac0 <5a591d7a5e48d30100943940a30a6ab41b15c672
- Affected versionversion=6.14
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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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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