Bug 2565285 (CVE-2026-99235)

Summary: CVE-2026-99235 kernel: kernel: Privilege escalation via use-after-free in event tracing subsystem
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: high Docs Contact:
Priority: high    
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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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's event tracing subsystem. A local user with permissions to configure trace event triggers could exploit this flaw to achieve privilege escalation or cause a Denial of Service (DoS). The issue occurs when the kernel improperly retains a reference to compatible histogram data, allowing that data to be freed while still referenced by another trigger. When the remaining trigger is subsequently unregistered, the kernel accesses the freed memory, resulting in a use-after-free condition that can crash the system or enable unauthorized code execution.
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-11-02 17:00:22 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

tracing: Save the event file instead of the compatible histogram

create_field_var_hist() creates a histogram on the matched event to
supply a field variable, and records it on the target so it can be torn
down later:

	hist_data = find_compatible_hist(target_hist_data, file);
	...
	/* Save the compatible histogram information */
	var_hist->hist_data = hist_data;

hist_data is not the histogram it creates. It is one that was already
there, whose keys the new one copies. The saved pointer has a single
user, unregister_field_var_hists(), which runs when the target is
removed:

	file = hist_data->field_var_hists[i]->hist_data->event_file;

find_compatible_hist() matches on keys alone, so it can pick one with no
variables of its own. check_var_refs() then returns false and the user
can remove it while the target still points at it:

 BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in event_hist_trigger_free+0x2b2/0x320
 Read of size 8 at addr ffff8880093b90e0 by task init/1

 Freed by task 1:
  kfree+0x154/0x420
  event_hist_trigger_free+0x1d5/0x320
  event_hist_trigger_parse+0x35f3/0x69e0
  trigger_process_regex+0x1a6/0x250

Save the event file instead. It is all the dereference ever wanted, and
it does not go away when the user removes a trigger.