Bug 2495943 (CVE-2026-53328)

Summary: CVE-2026-53328 kernel: sched_ext: Don't warn on NULL cgrp_moving_from in scx_cgroup_move_task()
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security <prodsec-ir-bot>
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Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
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Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's `sched_ext` component. When `systemd`'s user manager interacts with `subtree_control` while `sched_ext` is loaded, a warning can be triggered. This occurs due to a mismatch in how `cgroup` and `css` identities are handled during task migration, potentially leading to system instability or a local denial of service.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-07-01 14:02:35 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

sched_ext: Don't warn on NULL cgrp_moving_from in scx_cgroup_move_task()

A WARN fires when systemd's user manager writes "+cpu +memory +pids" to
its own subtree_control while a sched_ext scheduler is loaded:

  WARNING: at kernel/sched/ext.c:3227 scx_cgroup_move_task+0xa8/0xb0
   scx_cgroup_move_task+0xa8/0xb0
   sched_move_task+0x134/0x290
   cpu_cgroup_attach+0x39/0x70
   cgroup_migrate_execute+0x37d/0x450
   cgroup_update_dfl_csses+0x1e3/0x270
   cgroup_subtree_control_write+0x3e7/0x440

scx_cgroup_can_attach() arms cgrp_moving_from only when a task's cpu
cgroup changes. It can still be NULL when scx_cgroup_move_task() runs,
through this sequence:

  Step                               Result
  ---------------------------------  ----------------------------------
  1. cpu enabled on cgroup G         cpu css = A
  2. cpu toggled off then on for G   A killed, B created (same cgroup)
  3. an exiting task keeps A alive   migration skips it, A now stale
  4. +memory migrates G              stale A vs current B pulls cpu in
  5. cpu attach runs for all tasks   hits a live, cpu-unchanged task
  6. scx_cgroup_move_task() on it    cgrp_moving_from NULL -> WARN

The mismatch is that scx_cgroup_can_attach() keys on cgroup identity
while migration drives the move on css identity, so a NULL cgrp_moving_from
here is a legitimate css-only migration, not a missing prep.

The call is already gated on cgrp_moving_from, so just drop the warning.
ops.cgroup_prep_move() and ops.cgroup_move() stay paired.

Comment 1 Mauro Matteo Cascella 2026-07-01 17:29:52 UTC
Upstream advisory:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2026070142-CVE-2026-53328-d155@gregkh/T