Kernel memory access via malformed ELF string tables
Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Sep 11, 2026
Out-of-bounds access in Linux 6.18 before 6.18.50 and 7.2 before 7.2.4 allows local users to access kernel memory via a module. elf_validity_cache_secstrings and elf_validity_cache_index_str cache offsets from ELF section headers without first requiring SHT_STRTAB. Reaching this parser requires CAP_SYS_MODULE; the published patch establishes neither disclosure nor a crash.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds access in Linux 6.18 before 6.18.50 and 7.2 before 7.2.4 allows local users to access kernel memory via a module. elf_validity_cache_secstrings and elf_validity_cache_index_str cache offsets from ELF section headers without first requiring SHT_STRTAB. Reaching this parser requires CAP_SYS_MODULE; the published patch establishes neither disclosure nor a crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-89556
- Published
- Sep 11, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 11, 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=0 <6.18.50
- Affected versionversion=0 <7.2.4
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <50d0aa7d25ba4bc3606f150cd69755068e79f97f
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <9a5ff45689329835f874cefe5174e577d141d423
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <e4496dda2c6d0acf7ba5fbce14a2723a8935ceee
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
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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