mm/swap: fix race when skipping swapcache
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 14 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-787 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/swap: fix race when skipping swapcache When skipping swapcache for SWP_SYNCHRONOUS_IO, if two or more threads swapin the same entry at the same time, they get different pages (A, B). Before one thread (T0) finishes the swapin and installs page (A) to the PTE, another thread (T1) could finish swapin of page (B), swap_free the entry, then swap out the possibly modified page reusing the same entry. It breaks the pte_same check in (T0) because PTE value is unchanged, causing ABA problem. Thread (T0) will install a stalled page (A) into the PTE and cause data corruption. One possible callstack is like this: CPU0 CPU1 ---- ---- do_swap_page() do_swap_page() with same entry <direct swapin path> <direct swapin path> <alloc page A> <alloc page B> swap_read_folio() <- read to page A swap_read_folio() <- read to page B <slow on later locks or interrupt> <finished swapin first> ... set_pte_at() swap_free() <- entry is free <write to page B, now page A stalled> <swap out page B to same swap entry> pte_same() <- Check pass, PTE seems unchanged, but page A is stalled! swap_free() <- page B content lost! set_pte_at() <- staled page A installed! And besides, for ZRAM, swap_free() allows the swap device to discard the entry content, so even if page (B) is not modified, if swap_read_folio() on CPU0 happens later than swap_free() on CPU1, it may also cause data loss. To fix this, reuse swapcache_prepare which will pin the swap entry using the cache flag, and allow only one thread to swap it in, also prevent any parallel code from putting the entry in the cache. Release the pin after PT unlocked. Racers just loop and wait since it's a rare and very short event. A schedule_timeout_uninterruptible(1) call is added to avoid repeated page faults wasting too much CPU, causing livelock or adding too much noise to perf statistics. A similar livelock issue was described in commit 029c4628b2eb ("mm: swap: get rid of livelock in swapin readahead") Reproducer: This race issue can be triggered easily using a well constructed reproducer and patched brd (with a delay in read path) [1]: With latest 6.8 mainline, race caused data loss can be observed easily: $ gcc -g -lpthread test-thread-swap-race.c && ./a.out Polulating 32MB of memory region... Keep swapping out... Starting round 0... Spawning 65536 workers... 32746 workers spawned, wait for done... Round 0: Error on 0x5aa00, expected 32746, got 32743, 3 data loss! Round 0: Error on 0x395200, expected 32746, got 32743, 3 data loss! Round 0: Error on 0x3fd000, expected 32746, got 32737, 9 data loss! Round 0 Failed, 15 data loss! This reproducer spawns multiple threads sharing the same memory region using a small swap device. Every two threads updates mapped pages one by one in opposite direction trying to create a race, with one dedicated thread keep swapping out the data out using madvise. The reproducer created a reproduce rate of about once every 5 minutes, so the race should be totally possible in production. After this patch, I ran the reproducer for over a few hundred rounds and no data loss observed. Performance overhead is minimal, microbenchmark swapin 10G from 32G zram: Before: 10934698 us After: 11157121 us Cached: 13155355 us (Dropping SWP_SYNCHRONOUS_IO flag) [[email protected]: v4]
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 4.15 and later | 6.1.80, 6.6.19, 6.7.7, 6.8 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.15 and later Fixed in 6.1.80, 6.6.19, 6.7.7, 6.8 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15 to before 6.1.80; 6.2 to before 6.6.19; 6.7 to before 6.7.7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.8 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.8 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.8 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.8 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.8 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15 to before 6.1.80; 6.2 to before 6.6.19; 6.7 to before 6.7.7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.8 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.8 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.8 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.8 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.8 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.80, 6.6.19, 6.7.7, 6.8
Red Hat 4 advisories
- RHSA-2025:2270 Released 2025-03-05 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.4) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4, libperf-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.4) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.4) bpftool-7.3.0-427.57.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.57.1.el9_4 +11
- RHSA-2024:9315 Released 2024-11-12 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) kernel-cross-headers-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, libperf-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) bpftool-7.4.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-64k-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5 +30
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5 +11
- RHSA-2024:4352 Released 2024-07-08 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel-rt security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.8.1.rt7.349.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.8.1.rt7.349.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.8.1.rt7.349.el8_10 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.8.1.rt7.349.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.8.1.rt7.349.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.8.1.rt7.349.el8_10 +7
Show 1 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2024:4211 Released 2024-07-02 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-553.8.1.el8_10, kernel-4.18.0-553.8.1.el8_10, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-553.8.1.el8_10 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-553.8.1.el8_10
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:2270 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:2270 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:4211 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:2270 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:4211 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:4352 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:4352 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:2270 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:2270 |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8)
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-26759
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-p22p-8399-qrmf
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2024-26759 · CVE Program
- CVE-2024-26759 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-p22p-8399-qrmf · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2024-26759 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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