Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
tracing: Free buffers when a used dynamic event is removed
After 65536 dynamic events have been added and removed, the "type" field
of the event then uses the first type number that is available (not
currently used by other events). A type number is the identifier of the
binary blobs in the tracing ring buffer (known as events) to map them to
logic that can parse the binary blob.
The issue is that if a dynamic event (like a kprobe event) is traced and
is in the ring buffer, and then that event is removed (because it is
dynamic, which means it can be created and destroyed), if another dynamic
event is created that has the same number that new event's logic on
parsing the binary blob will be used.
To show how this can be an issue, the following can crash the kernel:
# cd /sys/kernel/tracing
# for i in `seq 65536`; do
echo 'p:kprobes/foo do_sys_openat2 $arg1:u32' > kprobe_events
# done
For every iteration of the above, the writing to the kprobe_events will
remove the old event and create a new one (with the same format) and
increase the type number to the next available on until the type number
reaches over 65535 which is the max number for the 16 bit type. After it
reaches that number, the logic to allocate a new number simply looks for
the next available number. When an dynamic event is removed, that number
is then available to be reused by the next dynamic event created. That is,
once the above reaches the max number, the number assigned to the event in
that loop will remain the same.
Now that means deleting one dynamic event and created another will reuse
the previous events type number. This is where bad things can happen.
After the above loop finishes, the kprobes/foo event which reads the
do_sys_openat2 function call's first parameter as an integer.
# echo 1 > kprobes/foo/enable
# cat /etc/passwd > /dev/null
# cat trace
cat-2211 [005] .... 2007.849603: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x130) arg1=4294967196
cat-2211 [005] .... 2007.849620: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x130) arg1=4294967196
cat-2211 [005] .... 2007.849838: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x130) arg1=4294967196
cat-2211 [005] .... 2007.849880: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x130) arg1=4294967196
# echo 0 > kprobes/foo/enable
Now if we delete the kprobe and create a new one that reads a string:
# echo 'p:kprobes/foo do_sys_openat2 +0($arg2):string' > kprobe_events
And now we can the trace:
# cat trace
sendmail-1942 [002] ..... 530.136320: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x240) arg1= cat-2046 [004] ..... 530.930817: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x240) arg1="������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������"
cat-2046 [004] ..... 530.930961: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x240) arg1="������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������"
cat-2046 [004] ..... 530.934278: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x240) arg1="������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������"
cat-2046 [004] ..... 530.934563: foo: (do_sys_openat2+0x0/0x240) arg1="���������������������������������������
---truncated---
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 2.6.33 | 5.4.226 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | linux | 6.0.12-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.0.12-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 6.0.12-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 22.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | 5.15.0-1014.16 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi-realtime | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux +1 | 5.15.0-67.74 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-aws | 5.15.0-1031.35 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure | 5.15.0-1034.41 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 5.15.0-1034.41.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 5.15.0-1030.37 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gke | 5.15.0-1028.33 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 5.15.0-1016.21 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-ibm | 5.15.0-1026.29 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-intel-iotg | 5.15.0-1026.31 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-kvm | 5.15.0-1029.34 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-nvidia | 5.15.0-1023.23 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 5.15.0-1030.36 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 5.15.0-1025.27 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +31 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux | 5.4.0-144.161 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-aws | 5.4.0-1097.105 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-aws-5.15 | 5.15.0-1031.35~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-azure | 5.4.0-1104.110 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-azure-5.15 | 5.15.0-1034.41~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | 5.4.0-1059.65 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 5.4.0-1101.110 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gcp-5.15 | 5.15.0-1030.37~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +26 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 5.4.0-1065.69 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gkeop-5.15 | 5.15.0-1016.21~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-hwe-5.15 +1 | 5.15.0-67.74~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-ibm | 5.4.0-1045.50 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-intel-iotg-5.15 | 5.15.0-1026.31~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-iot | 5.4.0-1013.15 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-kvm | 5.4.0-1087.93 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-tegra-5.15 | 5.15.0-1014.14~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 5.4.0-1094.103 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-oracle-5.15 | 5.15.0-1030.36~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 5.4.0-1081.92 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-riscv-5.15 | 5.15.0-1030.34~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-xilinx-zynqmp | 5.4.0-1022.26 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-aws-5.4 | 5.4.0-1097.105~18.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-azure-5.4 | 5.4.0-1104.110~18.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp-5.4 | 5.4.0-1101.110~18.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-hwe-5.4 | 5.4.0-144.161~18.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-ibm-5.4 | 5.4.0-1045.50~18.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-oracle-5.4 | 5.4.0-1094.103~18.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-raspi-5.4 | 5.4.0-1081.92~18.04.1 | — |
Show 11 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-intel-iot-realtime | 5.15.0-1022.27 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 5.15.0-1033.36 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 18.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 16.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-aws-fips | 5.4.0-1099.107+fips1 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-azure-fips | 5.4.0-1104.110+fips1 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-fips | 5.4.0-1073.82 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-gcp-fips | 5.4.0-1101.110+fips1 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 16.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | linux +5 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | linux +7 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | linux +3 | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 9 | rv +77 | 5.14.0-570.12.1.el9_6 | RHSA-2025:6966 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP5 | kernel-64kb +6 | 5.14.21-150500.55.88.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4364-1 |
| SLES 15 SP5 | kernel-azure +2 | 5.14.21-150500.33.72.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:3983-1 |
| SLES 15 SP5 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150500.55.88.1.150500.6.39.4 | SUSE-SU-2024:4364-1 |
| SLES 15 SP4 | kernel-64kb +6 | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLES 15 SP4 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1.150400.24.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLES 15 SP3 | kernel-64kb +7 | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLES 15 SP3 | kernel-default-base | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1.150300.18.109.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | kernel-syms +2 | 4.12.14-122.250.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:0834-1 |
Show 17 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 15 SP4 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1.150400.24.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP4 | kernel-docs +4 | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP3 | kernel-default-base | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1.150300.18.109.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP3 | kernel-docs +5 | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.5 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150500.55.88.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4364-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.5 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150500.55.88.1.150500.6.39.4 | SUSE-SU-2024:4364-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.5 | kernel-rt +1 | 5.14.21-150500.13.76.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:3985-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.4 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.4 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1.150400.24.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.4 | kernel-rt +1 | 5.14.21-150400.15.100.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4082-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.3 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.3 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1.150400.24.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.3 | kernel-rt +1 | 5.14.21-150400.15.100.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4082-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.2 | kernel-default | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.2 | kernel-default-base | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1.150300.18.109.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.2 | kernel-rt +1 | 5.3.18-150300.194.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4317-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.1 | kernel-default | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.1 | kernel-default-base | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1.150300.18.109.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLE Micro 5.1 | kernel-rt +1 | 5.3.18-150300.194.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4317-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150500.55.88.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4364-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP5-RT_Update_22 | 1-150500.11.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:3985-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP5 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP5_Update_21 | 1-150500.11.5.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4364-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP4 | kernel-default | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP4 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP4_Update_33 | 1-150400.9.5.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP3 | kernel-default | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP3 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP3_Update_51 | 1-150300.7.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 12 SP5 | kernel-default | 4.12.14-122.250.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:0834-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 12 SP5 | kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP5_Update_66 | 1-8.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:0834-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP4 | kernel-64kb +5 | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP4 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1.150400.24.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP3 | kernel-64kb +6 | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP3 | kernel-default-base | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1.150300.18.109.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 | kernel-rt +3 | 5.14.21-150500.13.76.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:3985-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1.150400.24.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | kernel-syms +3 | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | kernel-default-base | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1.150400.24.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | kernel-syms +2 | 5.14.21-150400.24.141.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 | kernel-64kb +6 | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 | kernel-default-base | 5.3.18-150300.59.185.1.150300.18.109.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | kernel-azure +2 | 5.14.21-150500.33.72.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:3983-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | kernel-rt +3 | 5.14.21-150500.13.76.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:3985-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap Micro 5.5 | kernel-rt | 5.14.21-150500.13.76.1 | SUSE-SU-2024:3985-1 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 9 | bpftool | 7.5.0-802.el9_6 | ELSA-2025-6966 |
| Oracle Linux 9 | rv +28 | 5.14.0-570.12.1.0.1.el9_6 | ELSA-2025-6966 |
Advisories 11
- WID-SEC-2024-3251 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 11, 2026
- RHSA-2025:6966 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 17, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2024:3985-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2024:4313-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2024:4131-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2024:4364-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:0834-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2024:4082-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2024:4317-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2024:3983-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ELSA-2025-6966 Moderate: kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · May 16, 2025
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1603feac154ff38514e8354e3079a455eb4801e2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/be111ebd8868d4b7c041cb3c6102e1ae27d6dc1d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/417d5ea6e735e5d88ffb6c436cf2938f3f476dd1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c52d0c8c4f38f7580cff61c4dfe1034c580cedfd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4313e5a613049dfc1819a6dfb5f94cf2caff9452