Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm/vma: fix anon_vma UAF on mremap() faulted, unfaulted merge
Patch series "mm/vma: fix anon_vma UAF on mremap() faulted, unfaulted
merge", v2.
Commit 879bca0a2c4f ("mm/vma: fix incorrectly disallowed anonymous VMA
merges") introduced the ability to merge previously unavailable VMA merge
scenarios.
However, it is handling merges incorrectly when it comes to mremap() of a
faulted VMA adjacent to an unfaulted VMA. The issues arise in three
cases:
1. Previous VMA unfaulted:
copied -----|
v
|-----------|.............|
| unfaulted |(faulted VMA)|
|-----------|.............|
prev
2. Next VMA unfaulted:
copied -----|
v
|.............|-----------|
|(faulted VMA)| unfaulted |
|.............|-----------|
next
3. Both adjacent VMAs unfaulted:
copied -----|
v
|-----------|.............|-----------|
| unfaulted |(faulted VMA)| unfaulted |
|-----------|.............|-----------|
prev next
This series fixes each of these cases, and introduces self tests to assert
that the issues are corrected.
I also test a further case which was already handled, to assert that my
changes continues to correctly handle it:
4. prev unfaulted, next faulted:
copied -----|
v
|-----------|.............|-----------|
| unfaulted |(faulted VMA)| faulted |
|-----------|.............|-----------|
prev next
This bug was discovered via a syzbot report, linked to in the first patch
in the series, I confirmed that this series fixes the bug.
I also discovered that we are failing to check that the faulted VMA was
not forked when merging a copied VMA in cases 1-3 above, an issue this
series also addresses.
I also added self tests to assert that this is resolved (and confirmed
that the tests failed prior to this).
I also cleaned up vma_expand() as part of this work, renamed
vma_had_uncowed_parents() to vma_is_fork_child() as the previous name was
unduly confusing, and simplified the comments around this function.
This patch (of 4):
Commit 879bca0a2c4f ("mm/vma: fix incorrectly disallowed anonymous VMA
merges") introduced the ability to merge previously unavailable VMA merge
scenarios.
The key piece of logic introduced was the ability to merge a faulted VMA
immediately next to an unfaulted VMA, which relies upon dup_anon_vma() to
correctly handle anon_vma state.
In the case of the merge of an existing VMA (that is changing properties
of a VMA and then merging if those properties are shared by adjacent
VMAs), dup_anon_vma() is invoked correctly.
However in the case of the merge of a new VMA, a corner case peculiar to
mremap() was missed.
The issue is that vma_expand() only performs dup_anon_vma() if the target
(the VMA that will ultimately become the merged VMA): is not the next VMA,
i.e. the one that appears after the range in which the new VMA is to be
established.
A key insight here is that in all other cases other than mremap(), a new
VMA merge either expands an existing VMA, meaning that the target VMA will
be that VMA, or would have anon_vma be NULL.
Specifically:
* __mmap_region() - no anon_vma in place, initial mapping.
* do_brk_flags() - expanding an existing VMA.
* vma_merge_extend() - expanding an existing VMA.
* relocate_vma_down() - no anon_vma in place, initial mapping.
In addition, we are in the unique situation of needing to duplicate
anon_vma state from a VMA that is neither the previous or next VMA being
merged with.
dup_anon_vma() deals exclusively with the target=unfaulted, src=faulted
case. This leaves four possibilities, in each case where the copied VMA
is faulted:
1. Previous VMA unfaulted:
copied -----|
---truncated---
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.16 | 6.18.8 |
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 | 6.18.8-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux +8 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-6.17 | 6.17.0-1021.21~24.04.1 | USN-8604-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-6.17 | 6.17.0-1018.18~24.04.1 | USN-8605-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.17 | 6.17.0-1021.24~24.04.1 | USN-8570-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-hwe-6.17 | 6.17.0-41.41~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-6.17 | 6.17.0-1031.31 | USN-8669-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oem-6.17 | 6.17.0-1030.30 | USN-8594-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle-6.17 | 6.17.0-1019.19~24.04.3 | USN-8570-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +13 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
Show 2 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 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.17 | 6.17.0-1018.20~24.04.1 | USN-8570-1 |
Advisories 7
- WID-SEC-2026-0324 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 11, 2026
- USN-8604-1 linux-azure-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 7, 2026
- USN-8669-1 linux-nvidia-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 6, 2026
- USN-8570-1 linux-gcp-6.17, linux-realtime-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 6, 2026
- USN-8570-2 linux-oracle-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 6, 2026
- USN-8594-1 linux-oem-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 6, 2026
- USN-8605-1 linux-azure-fde-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 17, 2026