Bug 2516600 (CVE-2026-72431)

Summary: CVE-2026-72431 kernel: alloc_tag: fix use-after-free in /proc/allocinfo after module unload
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. A vulnerability exists in the `/proc/allocinfo` feature where the system may attempt to access memory after it has been freed, known as a use-after-free. This can happen when a kernel module is unloaded while the system is still processing information from `/proc/allocinfo` that references the module's memory. A local attacker could potentially exploit this flaw to cause a system crash, leading to a Denial of Service.
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-08-15 06:21:12 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

alloc_tag: fix use-after-free in /proc/allocinfo after module unload

allocinfo_start() only reinitializes the codetag iterator at position 0. 
For subsequent reads (position > 0), it reuses cached iterator state from
the previous batch.  allocinfo_stop() drops mod_lock between read batches,
which allows module unload to complete and free the module memory that the
cached iterator still references:

  CPU0 (read)                        CPU1 (rmmod)
  ----                               ----
  allocinfo_start(pos=0)
    down_read(mod_lock)
    allocinfo_show()
    ...
  allocinfo_stop()
    up_read(mod_lock)
                                     codetag_unload_module()
                                       kfree(cmod)
                                       release_module_tags()
                                     ...
                                     free_mod_mem()
  allocinfo_start(pos=N)
    down_read(mod_lock)
    // reuses cached iter, skips re-init
  allocinfo_show()
    ct->filename   <-- UAF

After free_mod_mem() frees the module's .rodata, allocinfo_show()
dereferences ct->filename, ct->function which point there.

Save the iterator state in allocinfo_next() and resume from it in
allocinfo_start() with codetag_next_ct(), which detects module removal via
idr_find() returning NULL and skips to the next module.