bpf: Fix effective prog array index with BPF_F_PREORDER
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix effective prog array index with BPF_F_PREORDER replace_effective_prog() and purge_effective_progs() located the slot in the effective array by walking the program hlist and counting entries linearly. That count does not match the array layout: compute_effective_ progs() places BPF_F_PREORDER programs at the front (ancestor cgroup first, attach order within a cgroup) and the rest after them (descendant cgroup first). So when a preorder program is present, the linear hlist position no longer equals the program's index in the effective array. For replace_effective_prog() (bpf_link_update()) this overwrote the wrong slot, corrupting the effective order. For purge_effective_progs(), it could dummy out a slot belonging to a different program and leave the detached program in the array while bpf_prog_put() drops its reference, i.e. a use-after-free. Fix both by replaying compute_effective_progs()'s placement (including the per-cgroup preorder reversal) in a shared effective_prog_pos() helper. Identify the entry by its struct bpf_prog_list pointer rather than by (prog, link) value, so the lookup resolves to exactly the attachment the syscall selected even when the same bpf_prog is attached to several cgroups in the hierarchy.
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
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.15
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2
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 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 4 products
- 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-2026-72427
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-6pxh-c54r-cxc3
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/525e408c27ae714e538b8c608c3a974df3ab6c92
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41b4320b84fdafe1ab586b06453d30d50415db59
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9697db03e010391c55ae75192cbdf30c5a72c114
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b584f107ab90222bd825dcb4c5977326ff684109
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f08aaee3152d0dfc578b3f2586932d82062701dd
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Sources
- CVE-2026-72427 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-72427 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-6pxh-c54r-cxc3 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-72427 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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