CVE Intelligence
High

CVE-2026-72175 — fs/proc/task_mmu: fix make_uffd_wp_huge_pte() prot-update race

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/proc/task_mmu: fix make_uffd_wp_huge_pte() prot-update race Patch series "userfaultfd/pagemap: pre-existing fixes". These are pre-existing bug fixes that were carried at the front of the userfaultfd RWP working-set-tracking series up to v5 [1]. Per review feedback that fixes should not sit in the middle of a feature series, they are split out and sent on their own; the RWP series is reposted rebased on top of this. All six were flagged by the Sashiko AI review of the RWP series and carry independent of RWP, apply to mm-new directly, and carry Cc: stable@. 1: fs/proc/task_mmu: a missing huge_ptep_modify_prot_start() in make_uffd_wp_huge_pte() can lose hardware Dirty/Accessed updates when PAGEMAP_SCAN write-protects a hugetlb PTE. 2: fs/proc/task_mmu: pagemap_scan_hugetlb_entry() compares the range against HPAGE_SIZE rather than the hstate page size, so it never write-protects gigantic hugetlb pages. 3: fs/proc/task_mmu: PAGEMAP_SCAN with PM_SCAN_WP_MATCHING over an unpopulated hugetlb range self-deadlocks -- pagemap_scan_pte_hole() calls uffd_wp_range() while walk_hugetlb_range() holds the hugetlb vma lock for read, and hugetlb_change_protection() then takes it for write. Install the marker inline instead. 4: mm/huge_memory: change_non_present_huge_pmd() drops pmd_swp_uffd_wp on a device-private PMD permission downgrade, silently losing the uffd-wp marker. 5: userfaultfd: must_wait() applies pte_write() to a locklessly read PTE without checking pte_present(), so swap/migration entries decode random offset bits and a thread can stay parked on a stale fault. 6: userfaultfd: __VMA_UFFD_FLAGS feeds VMA_UFFD_MINOR_BIT (41) to mk_vma_flags() unconditionally, an out-of-bounds write into the single-word vma_flags_t on 32-bit. Build the mask from config-gated per-mode masks so an unavailable bit is never materialised. This patch (of 6): make_uffd_wp_huge_pte() arms the UFFD_WP bit on a present HugeTLB PTE by calling huge_ptep_modify_prot_commit() with a ptent snapshot that was fetched without the corresponding huge_ptep_modify_prot_start(). The start helper is what atomically clears the entry so the kernel-owned snapshot stays consistent until the commit; without it, the hardware may set Dirty or Accessed in the live PTE between the original read and the commit, and huge_ptep_modify_prot_commit() (whose generic implementation just calls set_huge_pte_at()) then writes the stale snapshot back over the live hardware bits, losing the update. The non-hugetlb sibling make_uffd_wp_pte() does this correctly via ptep_modify_prot_start() / ptep_modify_prot_commit(). Mirror that pattern for the present-PTE branch. The migration case stays as-is -- migration entries are non-present, so there's no hardware update to race against.

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: Linux

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • Technical severity (high)+6

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
—
No EPSS score.
Affects
Linux
Linux
CVSS base
7.1
High · 2 source(s)

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Linux Linux).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Linux Linux ≥ 52526ca7fdb905a768a93f8faa418e9b988fc34b and < 50a25249a6355db74c2c1b6be541b4caab9f3655≥ 52526ca7fdb905a768a93f8faa418e9b988fc34b and < 8e39ed92d7c5c6bfc08dc45153916f49a4e98bab≥ 52526ca7fdb905a768a93f8faa418e9b988fc34b and < 6b7f774b8882445d9174681747d37c42548686a4≥ 52526ca7fdb905a768a93f8faa418e9b988fc34b and < 04718f7c9290f95385f0dd328758753dc1c36decversion 6.7 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
7.1 CVSS 3.1 High 1.8 5.2 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 via NIST National Vulnerability Database
7.1 CVSS 3.1 High — — Linux via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N (score shown at the top: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · linux/linux
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 15, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 7.1
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Received
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Aug 15, 2026 · Linux

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

4 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Linux
every CVE for this vendor

Related CVEs (same products)

  • Critical CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 11h
  • Unknown CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 11h
  • Unknown CVE-2026-98424 wifi: cfg80211: undo netns switch if renaming the wiphy fails 1d
  • Unknown CVE-2026-98425 wifi: mac80211: don't warn when an IBSS has no channel to scan 1d
  • Unknown CVE-2026-98426 wifi: mwifiex: fix IRQ leak using wrong index in MSI-X error path 1d
  • Unknown CVE-2026-98427 net/sched: codel: bound the dropping loop per dequeue call 1d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No FIRST EPSS score.
  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No CISA SSVC assessment.
  • No CWE classification.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-72175 is "fs/proc/task_mmu: fix make_uffd_wp_huge_pte() prot-update race", rated High. It affects Linux (Linux); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.1 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

Comments

Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.

No comments yet.

Sign in or create an account to comment and suggest corrections.