Exclusive eBPF map mutation via nested maps
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
Security feature bypass in the Linux kernel allows local users to rewrite exclusive eBPF maps through map-in-map access. bpf_map_meta_equal() ignores excl_prog_sha, while compatibility checks cover only directly referenced used_maps, so an exclusive inner map can be inserted into a non-exclusive outer map and mutated by an unrelated program. Exploitation requires local low-privileged BPF access; on a hostile host, the mutation defeats the signed loader's frozen metadata-map integrity guarantee.
Summary
What happened
Security feature bypass in the Linux kernel allows local users to rewrite exclusive eBPF maps through map-in-map access. bpf_map_meta_equal() ignores excl_prog_sha, while compatibility checks cover only directly referenced used_maps, so an exclusive inner map can be inserted into a non-exclusive outer map and mutated by an unrelated program. Exploitation requires local low-privileged BPF access; on a hostile host, the mutation defeats the signed loader's frozen metadata-map integrity guarantee.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74364
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 15, 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=6.18
- Affected versionversion=baefdbdf6812e120c9fba9cfb101d3656f478026 <3a0f73d27a8d379a8852a378b3c3208143e3b3b2
- Affected versionversion=baefdbdf6812e120c9fba9cfb101d3656f478026 <7c58ace08f180f8e249e714d1623388362f9d807
- Affected versionversion=baefdbdf6812e120c9fba9cfb101d3656f478026 <9a3c3c49c333760c8944dadacbe114c1884546ef
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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