audit: fix potential use-after-free in audit_del_rule()
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: 5 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: audit: fix potential use-after-free in audit_del_rule() `audit_del_rule()` destroys `e->rule.exe` via `audit_remove_mark_rule()` before unlinking the rule from RCU-visible filter lists and waiting for a grace period. Concurrent readers in `audit_filter()` and `audit_filter_rules()` still dereference `e->rule.exe`, while the fsnotify mark can be freed on an independent lifetime path. This creates a use-after-free window during rule deletion. Fix this by unlinking the rule from the RCU-visible lists and invoking `synchronize_rcu()` before calling `audit_remove_mark_rule()` (and other rule removal helpers). This ensures that all existing RCU readers have exited the critical section before any underlying resources are destroyed.
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 5.10.265, 5.15.216, 6.1.183, 6.6.151, 6.12.103, 6.18.44, 7.1.8, 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: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | 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 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-74512
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-4248-7w5j-8g9p
- 2026-10-18 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93616c567469510b7bba55b2674e0c4523fd7e64
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f82927b399d7a276c0c12b6ff4424b747a0c9a7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ae135a8962be9d4e8a131eb18eb06cdf02a47ce
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/45bf3df5b32e5a49953e7ceabc55f7dd85380e46
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/78bde7e9bd36eaae1b8e8cfcd47f12a34f301dbf
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cae0dfed5d307b240bff71c3cf206652d1b6f215
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5b8f46864f06d6dbacb7dcea52bc084dfd122638
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/246df90b5f1a8a6e6abbd2f058b029558720adec
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Sources
- CVE-2026-74512 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-74512 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-4248-7w5j-8g9p · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-74512 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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