x86/mm: Fix freeing of PMD-sized vmemmap pages
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/mm: Fix freeing of PMD-sized vmemmap pages Commit bf9e4e30f353 ("x86/mm: use pagetable_free()"), switched from freeing non-boot page tables through __free_pages() to pagetable_free(). However, the function is also called to free vmemmap pages. Given that vmemmap pages are not page tables, already the page_ptdesc(page) is wrong. But worse, pagetable_free() calls: __free_pages(page, compound_order(page)); Since vmemmap pages are not compound pages (see vmemmap_alloc_block()) -- except for HVO, which doesn't apply here -- only first page of a PMD-sized vmemmap page is freed, leaking the other ones. Fix it by properly decoupling pagetable and vmemmap freeing. free_pagetable() no longer has to mess with SECTION_INFO, as only the vmemmap is marked like that in register_page_bootmem_memmap(). The indentation in remove_pmd_table() is messed up. Fix that while touching it. Bootmem info handling will soon be fixed up. For now, handle it similar to free_pagetable(), just avoiding the ifdef. [ dhansen: changelog munging. More imperative voice ]
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.18.39
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.18.39, 7.1.4, 7.2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- 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-2026-64302
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-rmr6-r8pg-m34q
References
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-2026-64302 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-64302 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-rmr6-r8pg-m34q · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-64302 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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