7.8
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-72071
tracing/user_events: Fix use-after-free in user_event_mm_dup()
Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing/user_events: Fix use-after-free in user_event_mm_dup() user_event_mm_dup() walks the parent mm's enabler list locklessly under rcu_read_lock() during fork() (from copy_process()); it does not take event_mutex: rcu_read_lock(); list_for_each_entry_rcu(enabler, &old_mm->enablers, mm_enablers_link) enabler->event = user_event_get(orig->event); user_event_enabler_destroy() removes an enabler from that list with list_del_rcu() and then, without waiting for a grace period, drops the enabler's user_event reference with user_event_put() and frees the enabler with kfree(). A reader that loaded the enabler before the list_del_rcu() can still be walking it, which leads to two use-after-frees: - kfree(enabler) frees the enabler while that reader dereferences enabler->event. - user_event_put() may drop the last reference to the user_event, which is then freed (via delayed_destroy_user_event() on a work queue), while the same reader does user_event_get(orig->event) on it. Both are reachable by an unprivileged task that can open user_events_data: one multithreaded process that registers an enabler and then concurrently unregisters it and calls fork() triggers the race. KASAN reports a slab-use-after-free in user_event_mm_dup() during clone(), with a "refcount_t: addition on 0" warning when the user_event is freed. The enabler use-after-free was found first; the user_event one was reported by XIAO WU, and the earlier enabler-only fix did not address it. Defer both the user_event_put() and the kfree(enabler) to a work item queued with queue_rcu_work(), so they run only after an RCU grace period, once all readers walking the enabler list have finished. The put must run in process context because user_event_put() takes event_mutex on the last reference, so a work queue is used rather than call_rcu(). The now-unlocked put lets the locked argument of user_event_enabler_destroy() be removed; all callers are updated.

INFO

Published Date :

Aug. 15, 2026, 6:21 a.m.

Last Modified :

Aug. 17, 2026, 6:18 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-72071 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Linux linux_kernel
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 HIGH 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
Fix use-after-free by deferring enabler destruction to a work item.
  • Defer enabler destruction to a work item.
  • Queue work item with queue_rcu_work().
  • Update all callers for unlocked put.
  • Ensure RCU grace period before destruction.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-72071 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-72071 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-72071 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-72071 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Aug. 17, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '25acb6711da6fa0382744fa92bd6d42a22c1ae68', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '95400e7039cdfeb0b53652d521d766f1698cae95', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': 'b33ac2d39953efb12f598c0dae242c5f644ea669', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '05b24f68f78ff3a1ef7f015f7327b35886b741f6', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '50fd6dd755c6e48a38af2fa4621167eea56829c2', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/trace/trace_events_user.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.4'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.4', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.148', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc3', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/trace/trace_events_user.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '25acb6711da6fa0382744fa92bd6d42a22c1ae68', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '95400e7039cdfeb0b53652d521d766f1698cae95', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': 'b33ac2d39953efb12f598c0dae242c5f644ea669', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '05b24f68f78ff3a1ef7f015f7327b35886b741f6', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '50fd6dd755c6e48a38af2fa4621167eea56829c2', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/trace/trace_events_user.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.4'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.4', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.148', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/trace/trace_events_user.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}]
  • New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Aug. 15, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '25acb6711da6fa0382744fa92bd6d42a22c1ae68', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '95400e7039cdfeb0b53652d521d766f1698cae95', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': 'b33ac2d39953efb12f598c0dae242c5f644ea669', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '05b24f68f78ff3a1ef7f015f7327b35886b741f6', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '7235759084a4f8524a46bd2638885ff3b34ce279', 'lessThan': '50fd6dd755c6e48a38af2fa4621167eea56829c2', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/trace/trace_events_user.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.4'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.4', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.148', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc3', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/trace/trace_events_user.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}]
    Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing/user_events: Fix use-after-free in user_event_mm_dup() user_event_mm_dup() walks the parent mm's enabler list locklessly under rcu_read_lock() during fork() (from copy_process()); it does not take event_mutex: rcu_read_lock(); list_for_each_entry_rcu(enabler, &old_mm->enablers, mm_enablers_link) enabler->event = user_event_get(orig->event); user_event_enabler_destroy() removes an enabler from that list with list_del_rcu() and then, without waiting for a grace period, drops the enabler's user_event reference with user_event_put() and frees the enabler with kfree(). A reader that loaded the enabler before the list_del_rcu() can still be walking it, which leads to two use-after-frees: - kfree(enabler) frees the enabler while that reader dereferences enabler->event. - user_event_put() may drop the last reference to the user_event, which is then freed (via delayed_destroy_user_event() on a work queue), while the same reader does user_event_get(orig->event) on it. Both are reachable by an unprivileged task that can open user_events_data: one multithreaded process that registers an enabler and then concurrently unregisters it and calls fork() triggers the race. KASAN reports a slab-use-after-free in user_event_mm_dup() during clone(), with a "refcount_t: addition on 0" warning when the user_event is freed. The enabler use-after-free was found first; the user_event one was reported by XIAO WU, and the earlier enabler-only fix did not address it. Defer both the user_event_put() and the kfree(enabler) to a work item queued with queue_rcu_work(), so they run only after an RCU grace period, once all readers walking the enabler list have finished. The put must run in process context because user_event_put() takes event_mutex on the last reference, so a work queue is used rather than call_rcu(). The now-unlocked put lets the locked argument of user_event_enabler_destroy() be removed; all callers are updated.
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/05b24f68f78ff3a1ef7f015f7327b35886b741f6
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/25acb6711da6fa0382744fa92bd6d42a22c1ae68
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/50fd6dd755c6e48a38af2fa4621167eea56829c2
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/95400e7039cdfeb0b53652d521d766f1698cae95
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b33ac2d39953efb12f598c0dae242c5f644ea669
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.