keys: Pin request_key_auth payload in instantiate paths
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, 3 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: keys: Pin request_key_auth payload in instantiate paths A: request_key() B: KEYCTL_INSTANTIATE_IOV ================ ========================= create auth key store rka in auth key wait for helper get auth key load rka from auth key copy user payload sleep on #PF helper completed detach and free rka destroy auth key wake up use rka->target_key **USE-AFTER-FREE** Give request_key_auth payloads a refcount. Take a payload reference while authkey->sem stabilizes the payload and revocation state. Hold that reference across the instantiate and reject paths. Drop the auth key owning reference from revoke and destroy. [jarkko: Replaced the first two paragraphs of text with an actual concurrency scenario.]
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 | 2.6.16 and later | 5.10.260, 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.38, 7.1.3, 7.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.16 and later Fixed in 5.10.260, 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.38, 7.1.3, 7.2 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.6.16 to before 5.10.260; 5.11 to before 5.15.211; 5.16 to before 6.1.177; 6.2 to before 6.6.144; 6.7 to before 6.12.95; 6.13 to before 6.18.38; 6.19 to before 7.1.3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.6.16 to before 5.10.260; 5.11 to before 5.15.211; 5.16 to before 6.1.177; 6.2 to before 6.6.144; 6.7 to before 6.12.95; 6.13 to before 6.18.38; 6.19 to before 7.1.3 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.260, 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.38, 7.1.3, 7.2
Red Hat 4 advisories
- RHSA-2026:70459 Released 2026-09-23 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) kernel-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-core-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8 +28
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, libperf-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-core-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-687.50.1.el9_8 +9
- RHSA-2026:70498 Released 2026-09-23 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) kernel-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, libperf-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) kernel-rt-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-211.58.1.el10_2 +9
- RHSA-2026:70402 Released 2026-09-22 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-553.166.1.el8_10, kernel-4.18.0-553.166.1.el8_10, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-553.166.1.el8_10 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-553.166.1.el8_10
Show 1 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2026:70403 Released 2026-09-22 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel-rt security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.166.1.rt7.507.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.166.1.rt7.507.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.166.1.rt7.507.el8_10 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.166.1.rt7.507.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.166.1.rt7.507.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.166.1.rt7.507.el8_10 +7
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. 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 yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70498 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70459 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70498 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70402 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70459 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70402 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70498 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70459 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70403 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70403 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70498 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70459 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70498 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:70459 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-63823
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-hhf9-cxvj-3mv7
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-19 Weakness changed · CISA ADP
References
Patch 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d8274181b0f28d450b42489723a5ba81042158d7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4982bfabce6b33b3c9eddb4fb900fe5568b7cf91
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/708709c65a1832a99b0eef8ae46e343ddaca3d06
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/35ab4db86774d82389e4b9559e26ab7f68d8e395
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f9b68632ac93cc742f2e411021c4dbfe452ea0c2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7216ce8cb12fee44e309503955bb83806b106129
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/83c0a1cb296d955d5f4d1f0bd8a769ba8ed8c29f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fd15b457a86939c38aa12116adabd8ff686c5e51
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- 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-2026-63823 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-63823 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-hhf9-cxvj-3mv7 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-63823 · 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