Mark insertion race in Linux kernel fsnotify connector teardown
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: 6 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel fsnotify subsystem can accept new marks on a connector while it is being torn down, in versions from 4.12 before the fixed versions listed. A replacement mark can be missed during teardown, so the connector is detached from its object while still in use. An unprivileged local user reading fdinfo during the final detach can trigger a null pointer dereference in igrab.
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: fsnotify: prevent mark additions during connector teardown fsnotify_destroy_marks() keeps a reference to its current mark while it drops conn->lock to destroy the mark. This stabilizes the forward-walk cursor, but does not prevent a new mark from being inserted before it. For example, an inotify watch re-added after IN_IGNORED sorts before the old, detached mark for the same group. The walk can miss the replacement and then detach the entire connector from the object. The replacement is still on its group's marks_list and, for inotify, in the watch IDR. The group mutex no longer protects the connector's object from disappearing. An unprivileged fdinfo read racing the final detach can consequently call igrab(NULL): BUG: KASAN: null-ptr-deref in igrab+0x24/0x100 Write of size 4 at addr 0000000000000148 Call Trace: igrab+0x24/0x100 inotify_show_fdinfo+0x1dc/0x5e0 seq_show+0x397/0x690 Set a DESTROYING flag under conn->lock before starting the walk, and reject new marks on that connector with -ENOENT. The existing add-mark error paths undo the temporary group-list entry and the backend's watch allocation. Do not wait for teardown while holding the group mutex, which the destroyer needs. Once the old connector is detached, an add can install a fresh connector as before. This closes the insertion race for all object types using the common connector teardown, without changing the mark reference or SRCU lifetime rules.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 4.12 and later | 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.12 and later Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13, 7.3 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13 or 7.3, or to a later release of the matching stable branch. Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, 8, 9 and 10 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and 5 as affected without a fix, with no plan available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13, 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 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 |
| 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: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Timeline
- 2026-10-28 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99175
- 2026-10-28 Alias added: GHSA-qvp9-6wr3-29m5
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@587d80966dcce2824f13fd32dab83bf882acf66f +7 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 5 new references · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f7def717c06aea7004905e4d1568c3691ef9825d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/da2f9aa89ef1b1fe7a7c6e1a8ddacd9c975e86aa
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/587d80966dcce2824f13fd32dab83bf882acf66f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d28a460a2237220d9ccbdd3baac6eaead44e96cb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/61133f15773b907bada651a02d9c6d38eae37c48
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/952501bfc6e5e654ac4a17ec9d90c1ec614bd9f1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/472589eacdf10b5f9bd10b333957ed5291b2544b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/36ebddca56b9d8993d6dc984fdecc748ee1f5e06
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Sources
- CVE-2026-99175 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99175 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qvp9-6wr3-29m5 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99175 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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