locking/rtmutex: Skip remove_waiter() when waiter is not enqueued
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
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: locking/rtmutex: Skip remove_waiter() when waiter is not enqueued syzbot triggered the following splat in remove_waiter() via FUTEX_CMP_REQUEUE_PI: KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000a88-0x0000000000000a8f] class_raw_spinlock_constructor remove_waiter+0x159/0x1200 kernel/locking/rtmutex.c:1561 rt_mutex_start_proxy_lock+0x103/0x120 futex_requeue+0x10e4/0x20d0 __x64_sys_futex+0x34f/0x4d0 task_blocks_on_rt_mutex() does not arm the waiter upon deadlock detection, leaving waiter->task nil, where 3bfdc63936dd ("rtmutex: Use waiter::task instead of current in remove_waiter()") made this fatal. Furthermore, rt_mutex_start_proxy_lock() should not be calling into remove_waiter() upon a successfully grabbing the rtmutex. 1a1fb985f2e2 ("futex: Handle early deadlock return correctly"), moved the remove_waiter() out of __rt_mutex_start_proxy_lock() (where 'ret' was only ever 0 or < 0) into the wrapper. Tighten this check to account for try_to_take_rt_mutex().
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 | 6.1.175 to before 6.1.177; 6.6.140 to before 6.6.144; 6.12.86 to before 6.12.95; 6.18.27 to before 6.18.36; 7.0.4 to before 7.0.13 | 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.36, 7.0.13 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.1.175 to before 6.1.177; 6.6.140 to before 6.6.144; 6.12.86 to before 6.12.95; 6.18.27 to before 6.18.36; 7.0.4 to before 7.0.13 Fixed in 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.36, 7.0.13 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 7
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.1.175 to before 6.1.177; 6.6.140 to before 6.6.144; 6.12.86 to before 6.12.95; 6.18.27 to before 6.18.36; 7.0.4 to before 7.0.13 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.1.175 to before 6.1.177; 6.6.140 to before 6.6.144; 6.12.86 to before 6.12.95; 6.18.27 to before 6.18.36; 7.0.4 to before 7.0.13 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.36, 7.0.13
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-53163
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-4w7w-2mrj-36vw
- 2026-11-06 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4afda3a1da02129568a3a2f1898aa13e6763bcba
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6707d7e0b71748cb3cd95bad81dae5fe1b3c8f48
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5799f9bd7fee40370b93ab1ddf001cdc7017c14d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a388e3dfaf9538a680de5ed43a8ebb5dd45b6e53
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/55363fa0a04524d11efeaadee734d2db1756ed27
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40a25d59e85b3c8709ac2424d44f65610467871e
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Sources
- CVE-2026-53163 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-53163 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-4w7w-2mrj-36vw · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-53163 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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