CVE-2026-74264

Kernel crash via watchdog refcount race

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Race condition in the Linux kernel network watchdog allows local users to crash affected kernels through concurrent watchdog operations. The shared watchdog_dev_tracker pointer can be overwritten or freed when netdev_watchdog_up() races with dev_watchdog(), corrupting its tracking list. Low-privileged local access and concurrent watchdog activity are required; successful triggering interrupts the system through a kernel BUG.

CVSS severity7.8
High
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

Race condition in the Linux kernel network watchdog allows local users to crash affected kernels through concurrent watchdog operations. The shared watchdog_dev_tracker pointer can be overwritten or freed when netdev_watchdog_up() races with dev_watchdog(), corrupting its tracking list. Low-privileged local access and concurrent watchdog activity are required; successful triggering interrupts the system through a kernel BUG.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-74264
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-825, T1529
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 15, 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=5.17
  2. Affected versionversion=f12bf6f3f942b37de65eeea8be25903587fec930 <446fe8ce699ce0a4d702f7b0fcdb50de340b9260
  3. Affected versionversion=f12bf6f3f942b37de65eeea8be25903587fec930 <7ce2b00ff058ec4cafc9b447e1f0a6d6f49275d9
  4. Affected versionversion=f12bf6f3f942b37de65eeea8be25903587fec930 <8eed5519e496b7a07f441a0f579cb228a33189f7

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.17; version=f12bf6f3f942b37de65eeea8be25903587fec930 <446fe8ce699ce0a4d702f7b0fcdb50de340b9260; version=f12bf6f3f942b37de65eeea8be25903587fec930 <7ce2b00ff058ec4cafc9b447e1f0a6d6f49275d9; version=f12bf6f3f942b37de65eeea8be25903587fec930 <8eed5519e496b7a07f441a0f579cb228a33189f7

Published CVSS scores

4.7Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
7.8CanonicalCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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-825Expired Pointer Dereference
T1529System Shutdown/Reboot

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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