Bug 2541021 (CVE-2026-97949)

Summary:	CVE-2026-97949 kernel: configfs: unhash the dentry before dropping the item in rmdir
Product:	[Other] Security Response	Reporter:	OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component:	vulnerability	Assignee:	Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status:	NEW ---	QA Contact:
Severity:	medium	Docs Contact:
Priority:	medium
Version:	unspecified	CC:	akhatavk, aos-team-art-private, asdas, dpaolell, jdelft, jupierce, lgarciaa, mbiarnes, ppalepu, ppostler, prdhamdh, rhel-process-autobot, sghai, sidsharm, suppawar, vlaad, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone:	---	Keywords:	Security
Target Release:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version:		Doc Type:	---
Doc Text:	A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's configfs filesystem. A race condition between directory removal and symbolic link creation can result in a use-after-free vulnerability, where the system attempts to access memory after it has been released. A local user can exploit this flaw by concurrently deleting a directory while creating a symbolic link targeting it, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) through a kernel crash or potential memory corruption.	Story Points:	---
Clone Of:		Environment:
Last Closed:		Type:	---
Regression:	---	Mount Type:	---
Documentation:	---	CRM:
Verified Versions:		Category:	---
oVirt Team:	---	RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team:	---	Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-09-25 10:41:58 UTC

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

configfs: unhash the dentry before dropping the item in rmdir

configfs_get_config_item() treats a hashed dentry as proof that
sd->s_element is a live config_item.  configfs_rmdir() breaks that:
simple_rmdir() leaves the dentry hashed, the last reference to the item is
dropped right after, and the dentry is only unhashed by d_delete() once
->rmdir() has returned.  configfs_symlink() resolves its target holding no
lock on it, so get_target() can land in that window:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in config_item_get+0x26/0x90
   get_target fs/configfs/symlink.c:128 [inline]
   configfs_symlink+0x4ab/0x1030 fs/configfs/symlink.c:185

Unhash in configfs_remove_dir(), while the item is still guaranteed to be
there.  A reference obtained just before that stays harmless, as
create_link() rechecks CONFIGFS_USET_DROPPING, already set by
configfs_detach_prep().  Both configfs_unregister_subsystem() paths
d_drop() after detaching, so this only makes rmdir match them.

Comment 1 Keith Grant 2026-09-29 22:27:09 UTC

Upstream advisory:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-97949.mbox