Use-after-free in Linux kernel BPF memory allocator
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 6.6 contains a use-after-free in the BPF memory allocator. The alloc_bulk path consumes the waiting_for_gp_ttrace and free_by_rcu_ttrace lists without synchronization against concurrent frees, so a node can be read after it has been freed following an RCU Tasks Trace grace period.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix UAF due to concurrent consumption of ttrace lists in alloc_bulk Syzkaller repeatedly triggered UAF splats related to nodes in waiting_for_gp_ttrace within the bpf memalloc: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in llist_del_first+0x85/0x110 lib/llist.c:61 Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881572cd080 by task syz.4.470/5112 ... llist_del_first+0x85/0x110 lib/llist.c:61 alloc_bulk+0x193/0x460 kernel/bpf/memalloc.c:229 bpf_mem_refill+0x386/0x560 kernel/bpf/memalloc.c:436 Freed by task 14: ... __free_rcu kernel/bpf/memalloc.c:281 [inline] __free_rcu_tasks_trace+0x48/0xd0 kernel/bpf/memalloc.c:291 rcu_tasks_invoke_cbs+0x1ec/0x3e0 kernel/rcu/tasks.h:571 rcu_tasks_one_gp+0x13d/0x220 kernel/rcu/tasks.h:621 rcu_tasks_kthread+0xf3/0x120 kernel/rcu/tasks.h:651 The reason is that the UAF occurs after the RCU Tasks Trace GP expires: when the __free_rcu() callback runs, there is no synchronization protecting llist_del_all() against concurrent alloc_bulk() operating on waiting_for_gp_ttrace, leading to the race condition below: CPU0 CPU1 __free_rcu (RCU Tasks Trace callback) alloc_bulk llist_del_first(&c->waiting_for_gp_ttrace) entry = smp_load_acquire(&head->first); do { if (entry == NULL) return NULL; free_all(llist_del_all(&c->waiting_for_gp_ttrace)) llist_for_each_safe(pos, t, llnode) free_one(pos); next = READ_ONCE(entry->next); <-- trigger UAF } while (!try_cmpxchg(&head->first, &entry, next)); In addition, there is also a theoretical race condition on the free_by_rcu_ttrace list. This race requires two preconditions: an in-flight Tasks Trace GP keeping c->call_rcu_ttrace_in_progress == 1, and concurrent cross-CPU frees repopulating c->free_by_rcu_ttrace with new nodes. Under these conditions, the following scenario triggers UAF: // CPU0 // irq work is still busy (on PREEMPT_RT) alloc_bulk() llist_del_first(&c->free_by_rcu_ttrace) entry = smp_load_acquire(&head->first); do { if (entry == NULL) return NULL; // CPU1 bpf_mem_alloc_destroy() WRITE_ONCE(c->draining, true) // wait for CPU0 irq_work_sync() // CPU2 do_call_rcu_ttrace(tgt(CPU0)) if (c->draining) { llist_del_all(&c->free_by_rcu_ttrace) free_all() } // CPU0 continue next = READ_ONCE(entry->next); <-- trigger UAF while (!try_cmpxchg(&head->first, &entry, next)); Fix this by introducing a raw spinlock to synchronize the concurrent consumption on waiting_for_gp_ttrace and free_by_rcu_ttrace.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
The Linux kernel is fixed in 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and 7.3. Red Hat gives the plan as none_available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9, 7.3
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 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98642
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-9437-xj9f-2c6g
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-22 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98642 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98642 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9437-xj9f-2c6g · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98642 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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