CVE-2026-98260
Full vulnerability record from the local CVENow database.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Cleanup POSIX timers right after de_thread() A per-thread CPU timer holds a reference to the PID of the thread it is attached to and, while it is armed, its node is queued in that thread's posix_cputimers. The task is looked up by that PID. When a non-leader thread exec()s, de_thread() changes which task owns that PID. pid_task(timer->it.cpu.pid, PIDTYPE_PID) then returns NULL, but the node is still queued on tsk, which is alive. timer_lock_sighand() takes a failed lookup to mean that the node is already dequeued, so it has nothing to undo. begin_new_exec() calls posix_cpu_timers_exit(me) right after exec_task_namespaces() and that removes the leftover node, so the state normally stays invisible. But bprm->point_of_no_return is set before de_thread(), so if unshare_files(), set_mm_exe_file(), exec_mmap() or exec_task_namespaces() fails, the task dies before it gets there. exit_itimers() then frees the k_itimer while its node is still queued, and reaping tsk later erases that freed node from the rbtree. In short: the non-leader thread B the parent timer_create(CLOCK_THREAD_CPUTIME_ID) timer_settime() arm_timer() // the node is queued on B execve() de_thread(B) exchange_tids(B, leader) // B's PID now belongs to the leader release_task(leader) __exit_signal(leader) posix_cpu_timers_exit(leader) // cleans leader's queue, not B's __unhash_process(leader) // that PID has no task anymore exec_mmap() mmap_read_lock_killable(old_mm) kill(B, SIGKILL) // -EINTR get_signal() do_exit() exit_itimers() posix_timer_delete() posix_cpu_timer_del() posix_timer_unhash_and_free() // freed while still queued wait4() release_task(B) posix_cpu_timers_exit(B) cleanup_timerqueue() timerqueue_del() // use-after-free Move the POSIX timer cleanup right after de_thread() before any of the later failure conditions brings the task into do_exit(). [ tglx: Move the cleanup right after de_thread() ]
View original CVE JSON
{
"id": "CVE-2026-98260",
"sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"published": "2026-10-06T09:18:15.040",
"lastModified": "2026-10-30T13:21:12.320",
"vulnStatus": "Received",
"cveTags": [],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nexec: Cleanup POSIX timers right after de_thread()\n\nA per-thread CPU timer holds a reference to the PID of the thread it is\nattached to and, while it is armed, its node is queued in that thread's\nposix_cputimers. The task is looked up by that PID.\n\nWhen a non-leader thread exec()s, de_thread() changes which task owns\nthat PID. pid_task(timer->it.cpu.pid, PIDTYPE_PID) then returns NULL,\nbut the node is still queued on tsk, which is alive. timer_lock_sighand()\ntakes a failed lookup to mean that the node is already dequeued, so it\nhas nothing to undo.\n\nbegin_new_exec() calls posix_cpu_timers_exit(me) right after\nexec_task_namespaces() and that removes the leftover node, so the state\nnormally stays invisible. But bprm->point_of_no_return is set before\nde_thread(), so if unshare_files(), set_mm_exe_file(), exec_mmap() or\nexec_task_namespaces() fails, the task dies before it gets there.\nexit_itimers() then frees the k_itimer while its node is still queued,\nand reaping tsk later erases that freed node from the rbtree.\n\nIn short:\n\n the non-leader thread B the parent\n\n timer_create(CLOCK_THREAD_CPUTIME_ID)\n timer_settime()\n arm_timer() // the node is queued on B\n execve()\n de_thread(B)\n exchange_tids(B, leader) // B's PID now belongs to the leader\n release_task(leader)\n __exit_signal(leader)\n posix_cpu_timers_exit(leader) // cleans leader's queue, not B's\n __unhash_process(leader) // that PID has no task anymore\n exec_mmap()\n mmap_read_lock_killable(old_mm)\n kill(B, SIGKILL)\n // -EINTR\n get_signal()\n do_exit()\n exit_itimers()\n posix_timer_delete()\n posix_cpu_timer_del()\n posix_timer_unhash_and_free() // freed while still queued\n wait4()\n release_task(B)\n posix_cpu_timers_exit(B)\n cleanup_timerqueue()\n timerqueue_del() // use-after-free\n\nMove the POSIX timer cleanup right after de_thread() before any of the\nlater failure conditions brings the task into do_exit().\n\n[ tglx: Move the cleanup right after de_thread() ]"
}
],
"affected": [
{
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"affectedData": [
{
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"programFiles": [
"fs/exec.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"versions": [
{
"version": "55e8c8eb2c7b6bf30e99423ccfe7ca032f498f59",
"lessThan": "f6c93e8ecaaf12959b7ef6eb611351001db2ff5d",
"versionType": "git",
"status": "affected"
},
{
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"lessThan": "6f1977cea3e85cd8ab55fb337d3e1725fe61d1ce",
"versionType": "git",
"status": "affected"
},
{
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"status": "affected"
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{
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"status": "affected"
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{
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"versionType": "git",
"status": "affected"
},
{
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"lessThan": "acb03d3881818581052924a9bbbe92b8741ed448",
"versionType": "git",
"status": "affected"
}
]
},
{
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"defaultStatus": "affected",
"programFiles": [
"fs/exec.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"versions": [
{
"version": "5.7",
"status": "affected"
},
{
"version": "0",
"lessThan": "5.7",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "6.1.191",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.1.*",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "6.6.158",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.6.*",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "6.12.112",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "6.18.54",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "7.2.8",
"lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*",
"versionType": "semver",
"status": "unaffected"
},
{
"version": "7.3",
"lessThanOrEqual": "*",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
"status": "unaffected"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"metrics": {
"cvssMetricV31": [
{
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"type": "Secondary",
"cvssData": {
"version": "3.1",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"baseScore": 7.8,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"attackVector": "LOCAL",
"attackComplexity": "LOW",
"privilegesRequired": "LOW",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
"integrityImpact": "HIGH",
"availabilityImpact": "HIGH"
},
"exploitabilityScore": 1.8,
"impactScore": 5.9
}
]
},
"references": [
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f1977cea3e85cd8ab55fb337d3e1725fe61d1ce",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/75aa08b93c65766040f9ca99f41ac85ad22596b6",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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{
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"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d602877baf36c43c788a5f472c977e0be414029f",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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{
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"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
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{
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"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}
]
}