Memory-safety fault via thread_pid lifetime race
Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel allows local users to trigger a memory-safety fault through a race in the process-exit path. release_task drops the thread_pid reference after removing PIDTYPE_PID, allowing a concurrent setsid path to schedule delayed_put_pid and free the PID before proc_flush_pid reads pid->inodes. An unprivileged local process must win a wait4-versus-setsid race; the published reproducer produced KASAN reports, with no controlled read, write, disclosure, or privilege escalation claimed.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel allows local users to trigger a memory-safety fault through a race in the process-exit path. release_task drops the thread_pid reference after removing PIDTYPE_PID, allowing a concurrent setsid path to schedule delayed_put_pid and free the PID before proc_flush_pid reads pid->inodes. An unprivileged local process must win a wait4-versus-setsid race; the published reproducer produced KASAN reports, with no controlled read, write, disclosure, or privilege escalation claimed.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-97903
- Published
- Sep 25, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 25, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 25, 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=0a36bad01731e71568bdd365764d38b6bd576ab0 <96803a12e8ac15f0a1b4b151db59038f12304e58
- Affected versionversion=0a36bad01731e71568bdd365764d38b6bd576ab0 <bcb0936862f2b653114d9bd582ca26990ef54a64
- Affected versionversion=0a36bad01731e71568bdd365764d38b6bd576ab0 <cdd812d0683dee14ead02c9eded568685e61b23f
- Affected versionversion=6.16
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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
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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