System crash via NULL resource cleanup
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
NULL-pointer dereference in the Linux kernel dax/kmem driver allows local users to crash the system during DAX memory removal. A partially successful dev_dax_kmem_probe leaves failed ranges with NULL resources, but dev_dax_kmem_remove later iterates every range and cleans up the nonexistent resource. Exploitation requires local access and a discontiguous DAX device whose later range fails memory-region reservation or addition; triggering removal crashes the kernel.
Summary
What happened
NULL-pointer dereference in the Linux kernel dax/kmem driver allows local users to crash the system during DAX memory removal. A partially successful dev_dax_kmem_probe leaves failed ranges with NULL resources, but dev_dax_kmem_remove later iterates every range and cleans up the nonexistent resource. Exploitation requires local access and a discontiguous DAX device whose later range fails memory-region reservation or addition; triggering removal crashes the kernel.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74379
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499
- 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=5.10
- Affected versionversion=60e93dc097f7f13a16a7e4b75b8803eb2adbb721 <30ea97affbcce236c57287c82dc6ef7a29c63b76
- Affected versionversion=60e93dc097f7f13a16a7e4b75b8803eb2adbb721 <598ed7393a639c7547b28ff3e14db9f1ac37c132
- Affected versionversion=60e93dc097f7f13a16a7e4b75b8803eb2adbb721 <5d3139abb9d1671fa5e42c3d6d8cb3b05479c5bb
- Affected versionversion=60e93dc097f7f13a16a7e4b75b8803eb2adbb721 <799e54c510a03a65a57627018a817838d72f35bd
- Affected versionversion=60e93dc097f7f13a16a7e4b75b8803eb2adbb721 <8aa442cfce79e2d69e72fc8e0c0864ac2971149d
- Affected versionversion=60e93dc097f7f13a16a7e4b75b8803eb2adbb721 <d47b0b8a69a13e06afafa54723f3e8c99b0c788f
- Affected versionversion=60e93dc097f7f13a16a7e4b75b8803eb2adbb721 <ef4fc53898bd6c4d0119cc6d419ebef7f2560f31
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
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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