Bug 2461473 (CVE-2026-31555) - CVE-2026-31555 kernel: futex: Clear stale exiting pointer in futex_lock_pi() retry path
Summary: CVE-2026-31555 kernel: futex: Clear stale exiting pointer in futex_lock_pi() ...
Keywords:
Status: NEW
Alias: CVE-2026-31555
Product: Security Response
Classification: Other
Component: vulnerability
Version: unspecified
Hardware: All
OS: Linux
medium
medium
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Product Security
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2026-04-24 15:03 UTC by OSIDB Bzimport
Modified: 2026-04-24 17:24 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed:
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-04-24 15:03:31 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

futex: Clear stale exiting pointer in futex_lock_pi() retry path

Fuzzying/stressing futexes triggered:

    WARNING: kernel/futex/core.c:825 at wait_for_owner_exiting+0x7a/0x80, CPU#11: futex_lock_pi_s/524

When futex_lock_pi_atomic() sees the owner is exiting, it returns -EBUSY
and stores a refcounted task pointer in 'exiting'.

After wait_for_owner_exiting() consumes that reference, the local pointer
is never reset to nil. Upon a retry, if futex_lock_pi_atomic() returns a
different error, the bogus pointer is passed to wait_for_owner_exiting().

  CPU0			     CPU1		       CPU2
  futex_lock_pi(uaddr)
  // acquires the PI futex
  exit()
    futex_cleanup_begin()
      futex_state = EXITING;
			     futex_lock_pi(uaddr)
			       futex_lock_pi_atomic()
				 attach_to_pi_owner()
				   // observes EXITING
				   *exiting = owner;  // takes ref
				   return -EBUSY
			       wait_for_owner_exiting(-EBUSY, owner)
				 put_task_struct();   // drops ref
			       // exiting still points to owner
			       goto retry;
			       futex_lock_pi_atomic()
				 lock_pi_update_atomic()
				   cmpxchg(uaddr)
					*uaddr ^= WAITERS // whatever
				   // value changed
				 return -EAGAIN;
			       wait_for_owner_exiting(-EAGAIN, exiting) // stale
				 WARN_ON_ONCE(exiting)

Fix this by resetting upon retry, essentially aligning it with requeue_pi.


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