mm: thp: deny THP for files on anonymous inodes
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-617.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: thp: deny THP for files on anonymous inodes file_thp_enabled() incorrectly allows THP for files on anonymous inodes (e.g. guest_memfd and secretmem). These files are created via alloc_file_pseudo(), which does not call get_write_access() and leaves inode->i_writecount at 0. Combined with S_ISREG(inode->i_mode) being true, they appear as read-only regular files when CONFIG_READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS is enabled, making them eligible for THP collapse. Anonymous inodes can never pass the inode_is_open_for_write() check since their i_writecount is never incremented through the normal VFS open path. The right thing to do is to exclude them from THP eligibility altogether, since CONFIG_READ_ONLY_THP_FOR_FS was designed for real filesystem files (e.g. shared libraries), not for pseudo-filesystem inodes. For guest_memfd, this allows khugepaged and MADV_COLLAPSE to create large folios in the page cache via the collapse path, but the guest_memfd fault handler does not support large folios. This triggers WARN_ON_ONCE(folio_test_large(folio)) in kvm_gmem_fault_user_mapping(). For secretmem, collapse_file() tries to copy page contents through the direct map, but secretmem pages are removed from the direct map. This can result in a kernel crash: BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffff88810284d000 RIP: 0010:memcpy_orig+0x16/0x130 Call Trace: collapse_file hpage_collapse_scan_file madvise_collapse Secretmem is not affected by the crash on upstream as the memory failure recovery handles the failed copy gracefully, but it still triggers confusing false memory failure reports: Memory failure: 0x106d96f: recovery action for clean unevictable LRU page: Recovered Check IS_ANON_FILE(inode) in file_thp_enabled() to deny THP for all anonymous inode files.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.8 and later | 6.12.78, 6.18.17, 6.19.7, 7.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.8 and later Fixed in 6.12.78, 6.18.17, 6.19.7, 7.0 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 9
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.8.1 to before 6.12.78; 6.13 to before 6.18.17; 6.19 to before 6.19.7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.8 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 rc7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.8.1 to before 6.12.78; 6.13 to before 6.18.17; 6.19 to before 6.19.7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.8:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.8 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 rc7 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.12.78, 6.18.17, 6.19.7, 7.0
Red Hat 2 advisories
- RHSA-2026:55445 Released 2026-08-17 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0 +28
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, libperf-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-rt-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-rt-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-55.98.1.el10_0 +11
- RHSA-2026:21557 Released 2026-05-28 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) kernel-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, libperf-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-211.18.1.el10_2 +9
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:21557 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:55445 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:21557 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:55445 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:21557 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:55445 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:21557 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:55445 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:21557 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:55445 |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-23375
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9ghh-p583-m6m8
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-23375 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-23375 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9ghh-p583-m6m8 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-23375 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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