eventpoll: fix ep_remove struct eventpoll / struct file UAF
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: 29 fixed, 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eventpoll: fix ep_remove struct eventpoll / struct file UAF ep_remove() (via ep_remove_file()) cleared file->f_ep under file->f_lock but then kept using @file inside the critical section (is_file_epoll(), hlist_del_rcu() through the head, spin_unlock). A concurrent __fput() taking the eventpoll_release() fastpath in that window observed the transient NULL, skipped eventpoll_release_file() and ran to f_op->release / file_free(). For the epoll-watches-epoll case, f_op->release is ep_eventpoll_release() -> ep_clear_and_put() -> ep_free(), which kfree()s the watched struct eventpoll. Its embedded ->refs hlist_head is exactly where epi->fllink.pprev points, so the subsequent hlist_del_rcu()'s "*pprev = next" scribbles into freed kmalloc-192 memory. In addition, struct file is SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU, so the slot backing @file could be recycled by alloc_empty_file() -- reinitializing f_lock and f_ep -- while ep_remove() is still nominally inside that lock. The upshot is an attacker-controllable kmem_cache_free() against the wrong slab cache. Pin @file via epi_fget() at the top of ep_remove() and gate the critical section on the pin succeeding. With the pin held @file cannot reach refcount zero, which holds __fput() off and transitively keeps the watched struct eventpoll alive across the hlist_del_rcu() and the f_lock use, closing both UAFs. If the pin fails @file has already reached refcount zero and its __fput() is in flight. Because we bailed before clearing f_ep, that path takes the eventpoll_release() slow path into eventpoll_release_file() and blocks on ep->mtx until the waiter side's ep_clear_and_put() drops it. The bailed epi's share of ep->refcount stays intact, so the trailing ep_refcount_dec_and_test() in ep_clear_and_put() cannot free the eventpoll out from under eventpoll_release_file(); the orphaned epi is then cleaned up there. A successful pin also proves we are not racing eventpoll_release_file() on this epi, so drop the now-redundant re-check of epi->dying under f_lock. The cheap lockless READ_ONCE(epi->dying) fast-path bailout stays.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
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 | 5.15.209 to before 5.15.222; 6.1.175 to before 6.1.178 | 5.15.222, 6.1.178 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 6.4 and later | 5.15.222, 6.1.178, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.33, 7.0.10, 7.1 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.15.209 to before 5.15.222; 6.1.175 to before 6.1.178 Fixed in 5.15.222, 6.1.178 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.4 and later Fixed in 5.15.222, 6.1.178, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.33, 7.0.10, 7.1 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15.209 to before 5.16; 6.1.175 to before 6.2; 6.4 to before 6.18.33; 6.19 to before 7.0.10 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15.209 to before 5.16; 6.1.175 to before 6.2; 6.4 to before 6.18.33; 6.19 to before 7.0.10 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.222, 6.1.178
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.222, 6.1.178, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.33, 7.0.10, 7.1
Red Hat 15 advisories
- RHSA-2026:73187 Released 2026-09-29 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- NVIDIA for RHEL 10 kernel-6.12.0-259.26.el10nv, kernel-64k-6.12.0-259.26.el10nv, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-259.26.el10nv +38
- RHSA-2026:44231 Released 2026-07-29 · Red Hat rating ImportantOpenShift Container Platform 4.19.40 bug fix and security update
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.19 rhcos-aarch64-4.19.9.6.202607220857-0, rhcos-ppc64le-4.19.9.6.202607220857-0, rhcos-s390x-4.19.9.6.202607220857-0 +1
- RHSA-2026:44007 Released 2026-07-23 · Red Hat rating Importantkpatch-patch-5_14_0-570_116_1, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-570_17_1, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-570_39_1, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-570_66_1, and kpatch-patch-5_14_0-570_94_1 security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.6) kpatch-patch-5_14_0-570_116_1-1-5.el9_6, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-570_17_1-1-20.el9_6, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-570_39_1-1-11.el9_6 +2
Show 12 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2026:44006 Released 2026-07-23 · Red Hat rating Importantkpatch-patch-5_14_0-427_100_1, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-427_113_1, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-427_126_1, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-427_68_2, and kpatch-patch-5_14_0-427_84_1 security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.9.4) kpatch-patch-5_14_0-427_100_1-1-10.el9_4, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-427_113_1-1-8.el9_4, kpatch-patch-5_14_0-427_126_1-1-5.el9_4 +2
- RHSA-2026:43825 Released 2026-07-22 · Red Hat rating Importantkpatch-patch-5_14_0-687_10_1 security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) kpatch-patch-5_14_0-687_10_1-1-4.el9_8
- RHSA-2026:43826 Released 2026-07-22 · Red Hat rating Importantkpatch-patch-6_12_0-211_16_1 security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) kpatch-patch-6_12_0-211_16_1-1-4.el10_2
- RHSA-2026:40787 Released 2026-07-21 · Red Hat rating ImportantOpenShift Container Platform 4.20.30 bug fix and security update
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.20 rhcos-aarch64-4.20.9.6.202607151937-0, rhcos-ppc64le-4.20.9.6.202607151937-0, rhcos-s390x-4.20.9.6.202607151937-0 +1
- RHSA-2026:40779 Released 2026-07-21 · Red Hat rating ImportantOpenShift Container Platform 4.21.25 bug fix and security update
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.21 rhcos-aarch64-4.21.9.6.202607151836-0, rhcos-ppc64le-4.21.9.6.202607151836-0, rhcos-s390x-4.21.9.6.202607151836-0 +1
- RHSA-2026:40764 Released 2026-07-21 · Red Hat rating ImportantOpenShift Container Platform 4.22.6 bug fix and security update
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 rhcos-aarch64-4.22.9.8.202607152026-0, rhcos-ppc64le-4.22.9.8.202607152026-0, rhcos-s390x-4.22.9.8.202607152026-0 +1
- RHSA-2026:39371 Released 2026-07-14 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0 +28
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, libperf-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-rt-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-rt-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-55.88.1.el10_0 +11
- RHSA-2026:38902 Released 2026-07-13 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.6) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6, libperf-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.6) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.6) kernel-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6, kernel-64k-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6, kernel-64k-core-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6 +28
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- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.6) kernel-rt-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-570.127.1.el9_6 +11
- RHSA-2026:37729 Released 2026-07-10 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.4) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.9.4) bpftool-7.3.0-427.137.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time E4S (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV E4S (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.137.1.el9_4 +11
- RHSA-2026:36645 Released 2026-07-08 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) kernel-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-core-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8 +28
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- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-core-5.14.0-687.23.1.el9_8 +21
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- RHSA-2026:36541 Released 2026-07-08 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) kernel-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, libperf-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-211.31.1.el10_2 +9
- RHSA-2026:36186 Released 2026-07-07 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- NVIDIA for RHEL 10 kernel-6.12.0-231.15.el10nv, kernel-64k-6.12.0-231.15.el10nv, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-231.15.el10nv +32
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet |
| NVIDIA for RHEL 10 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36186, RHSA-2026:73187 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38902 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36541 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36645 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:37729 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:39371 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38902 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36541, RHSA-2026:43826 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36645, RHSA-2026:43825 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:37729, RHSA-2026:44006 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:39371 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38902, RHSA-2026:44007 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36541 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36645 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:39371 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36541 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36645 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time E4S (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:37729 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:39371 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38902 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36541 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36645 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV E4S (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:37729 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:39371 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38902 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.19 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:44231 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.20 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:40787 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.21 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:40779 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:40764 |
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-46242
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-h4r8-4j67-99mx
- 2026-10-03 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@a10fbbe74e1c743beb1bb312109366667461df8a · CNA
- 2026-10-03 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-14 EPSS moved to the 90th–95th percentile
- 2026-10-14 Priority changed: LOW → MEDIUM
- 2026-10-16 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-19 Weakness changed · CISA ADP
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Patch 3
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Sources
- CVE-2026-46242 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-46242 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-h4r8-4j67-99mx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-46242 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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