Bug 2541243 (CVE-2026-97903)

Summary: CVE-2026-97903 kernel: exit: hold a reference to thread_pid across proc_flush_pid
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security <prodsec-ir-bot>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedCC: 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   
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Fixed In Version: Doc Type: ---
Doc Text:
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. A race condition during process termination allows a local user to trigger a use-after-free condition when process identifier records are freed prematurely. By running concurrent system operations during process exit, an unprivileged attacker can induce memory corruption, leading to a system crash and Denial of Service (DoS).
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-09-25 11:09:29 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

exit: hold a reference to thread_pid across proc_flush_pid

Commit 0a36bad01731 ("release_task: kill the no longer needed
get/put_pid(thread_pid)") removed the reference around proc_flush_pid().
It assumed that free_pids(post.pids) at the end of release_task() would
keep thread_pid alive until then.

That assumption is wrong.  __change_pid() only records a detached PID in
post.pids when pid_has_task() is false for every PIDTYPE.  If another task
still uses the exiting task's PID as its process group or session ID,
__unhash_process() removes the exiting task's PIDTYPE_PID link but leaves
the PID out of post.pids.  release_task() therefore holds no reference to
it after dropping tasklist_lock.

The other task can then remove the remaining PIDTYPE links.  Its
free_pids() call schedules delayed_put_pid(), and the RCU callback can free
the PID before the first release_task() reaches proc_flush_pid().

An unprivileged reproducer races wait4(-1) against setsid() to trigger this
ordering.  Three of three fresh v7.2 KASAN boots reported:

    BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in
    proc_invalidate_siblings_dcache+0x3e2/0x3f0
    Read of size 8 by task h7_pid_reaper/1921

    Call Trace:
     proc_invalidate_siblings_dcache
     release_task
     wait_consider_task
     __do_wait
     do_wait
     kernel_wait4

    Freed by task 0:
     kmem_cache_free
     put_pid
     delayed_put_pid
     rcu_core

    Last potentially related work creation:
     __call_rcu_common
     free_pids
     ksys_setsid

KASAN identified a 144-byte object from the pid cache and located the bad
read 80 bytes into the freed object, matching pid->inodes.  With an
explicit reference, three of three fresh boots completed without a KASAN
report.  The concurrent RCU callback dropped its reference while
proc_flush_pid() was protected, and the balancing put_pid() performed the
final free afterward.

Take a reference before __unhash_process() clears p->thread_pid and release
it after proc_flush_pid() completes.

A tested source reproducer is available privately on request.  No
controlled read or write, information leak, or privilege escalation is
claimed.  The mainline patch applies directly to v6.19.y and newer;
v6.16.y through v6.18.y need a context-adjusted backport.