Linux kernel keyring ordering leaks kernel image address
Key facts
- Attack vector
- —
- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
- —
- Impact type
- —
- 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 keyring code orders the serial numbers returned by KEYCTL_READ using an index that depends on kernel addresses. The index hashes the type and domain pointers, so an unprivileged user can insert keys with known descriptions, predict their order for each KASLR slide, and recover the kernel image address. Linux kernel versions from 3.13 are affected until they are fixed.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: keys: make keyring indexes independent of kernel addresses KEYCTL_READ returns the serial numbers in a keyring in associative-array traversal order. The first word of the index is a public, deterministic hash of the type pointer, domain pointer and description. An unprivileged user can therefore insert keys with known descriptions, predict their order for each possible KASLR slide, and recover the kernel image address. On an x86-64 build with 16 MiB alignment, 45 user keys suffice to distinguish the candidate slides. Remove the addresses from the whole index, not just its first hash word. Assign each key type and domain a nonzero 64-bit ID and hash those IDs and the description with a once-initialized SipHash key. Use the full IDs in the later index chunks as well. Truncating or hashing the IDs there would lose the guarantee that distinct type/domain/description tuples have a differing index bit. Allocate IDs lazily since private key types need not be registered. Cache them in the index key so tree walks and copies of an existing index do not need to dereference a type descriptor that may have been unregistered. Keep the 32-bit chunk layout and diff_objects() bit offsets consistent, and retain the separate root slot for keyrings used by recursive search. The key comparison, permissions and userspace data format are unchanged; only the address-dependent in-memory ordering is replaced.
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 | 3.13 and later | 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.60, 7.2.14, 7.3.1, 7.4-rc1 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 3.13 and later Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.60, 7.2.14, 7.3.1, 7.4-rc1 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Upgrade to Linux kernel 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.60, 7.2.14, 7.3.1 or 7.4-rc1, depending on your branch. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 has no fix planned, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 9 and 10 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and 5 have no fix available yet.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.60, 7.2.14, 7.3.1, 7.4-rc1
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. 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 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 7
Timeline
- 2026-11-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99223
- 2026-11-02 Alias added: GHSA-4488-hmfw-whvc
- 2026-11-03 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@de891c73c1cf41ac8de12c07fa2c84d6a912ad0c · CNA
- 2026-11-03 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-11-04 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 CVSS score added · Red Hat
References
Other 9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ebe824d55983c9f063a2c9ef1a08b29812d406f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e108b22999edbc6f431466baf6b2016c19b7ed31
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f084ef0beb68091e96ab96f0e95579aac8a77f9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8451d4a4c43127c3b9fdf9fc9ff3fea5539a61f9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/13fc051269d670810d9e314061b61c6dd06116a0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/61ac0585d9f4344d3dfb84b5edff1fee7d532897
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84f7c699f8d139f743c7dc11ef41d085690955bb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a113eba06bd1183c614d7994864d6e7054140cb9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/de891c73c1cf41ac8de12c07fa2c84d6a912ad0c
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Sources
- CVE-2026-99223 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99223 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-4488-hmfw-whvc · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99223 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences