mm/memory-failure: fix hugetlb_lock AA deadlock in get_huge_page_for_hwpoison
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-667 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/memory-failure: fix hugetlb_lock AA deadlock in get_huge_page_for_hwpoison Two concurrent madvise(MADV_HWPOISON) calls on the same hugetlb page can trigger a recursive spinlock self-deadlock (AA deadlock) on hugetlb_lock when racing with a concurrent unmap: thread#0 thread#1 -------- -------- madvise(folio, MADV_HWPOISON) -> poisons the folio successfully madvise(folio, MADV_HWPOISON) unmap(folio) try_memory_failure_hugetlb get_huge_page_for_hwpoison spin_lock_irq(&hugetlb_lock) <- held __get_huge_page_for_hwpoison hugetlb_update_hwpoison() -> MF_HUGETLB_FOLIO_PRE_POISONED goto out: folio_put() refcount: 1 -> 0 free_huge_folio() spin_lock_irqsave(&hugetlb_lock) -> AA DEADLOCK! The out: path in __get_huge_page_for_hwpoison() calls folio_put() to drop the GUP reference while the hugetlb_lock is still held by the hugetlb.c wrapper get_huge_page_for_hwpoison(). If concurrent unmap has released the page table mapping reference, folio_put() drops the folio refcount to zero, triggering free_huge_folio() which attempts to re-acquire the non-recursive hugetlb_lock. Fix this by moving hugetlb_lock acquisition from the hugetlb.c wrapper into get_huge_page_for_hwpoison(). Place spin_unlock_irq() before the folio_put() at the out: label so the folio is always released outside the lock. [[email protected]: fix race, rename label per Miaohe]
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 | 5.15.54 to before 5.16 | 5.16 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 5.18 and later | 6.1.176, 6.6.143, 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13, 7.1 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.15.54 to before 5.16 Fixed in 5.16 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.18 and later Fixed in 6.1.176, 6.6.143, 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13, 7.1 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 12
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15.54 to before 5.16; 5.18.1 to before 6.1.176; 6.2 to before 6.6.143; 6.7 to before 6.12.94; 6.13 to before 6.18.36; 6.19 to before 7.0.13 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.18 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.18 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.18 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.18 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.18 rc7 | 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:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15.54 to before 5.16; 5.18.1 to before 6.1.176; 6.2 to before 6.6.143; 6.7 to before 6.12.94; 6.13 to before 6.18.36; 6.19 to before 7.0.13 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.18 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.18 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.18 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.18 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:5.18:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.18 rc7 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
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.16
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.176, 6.6.143, 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13, 7.1
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. 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 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-53207
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-hfrj-r4v7-3997
- 2026-11-06 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fc3ff42cb0cbf947e4600ae9761c3783760050e2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/77b73b54801ae7137479c141fd0473a491c1dc48
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a33bfed648c10f5a1519981dbfad80841191edc8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dd77a83915b07e2b0205adb284f08b39ae31dc4b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bf7ba8f96c258c30393814491930ae4ecdc5fe5e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c2d42b8ee345b17a4ba56b0f6492d1ff4c1178e
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Sources
- CVE-2026-53207 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-53207 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-hfrj-r4v7-3997 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-53207 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences