Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
perf/core: Fix refcount bug and potential UAF in perf_mmap
Syzkaller reported a refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free warning
in perf_mmap.
The issue is caused by a race condition between a failing mmap() setup
and a concurrent mmap() on a dependent event (e.g., using output
redirection).
In perf_mmap(), the ring_buffer (rb) is allocated and assigned to
event->rb with the mmap_mutex held. The mutex is then released to
perform map_range().
If map_range() fails, perf_mmap_close() is called to clean up.
However, since the mutex was dropped, another thread attaching to
this event (via inherited events or output redirection) can acquire
the mutex, observe the valid event->rb pointer, and attempt to
increment its reference count. If the cleanup path has already
dropped the reference count to zero, this results in a
use-after-free or refcount saturation warning.
Fix this by extending the scope of mmap_mutex to cover the
map_range() call. This ensures that the ring buffer initialization
and mapping (or cleanup on failure) happens atomically effectively,
preventing other threads from accessing a half-initialized or
dying ring buffer.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.14 | 6.18.17 |
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 | 6.19.8-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux +8 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +27 | 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 +1 | No fix yet | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | kernel-64kb +8 | 6.12.0-160000.36.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22835-1 |
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.36.1.160000.2.17 | SUSE-SU-2026:22835-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | kernel-64kb +8 | 6.12.0-160000.36.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22835-1, SUSE-SU-2026:22812-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.36.1.160000.2.17 | SUSE-SU-2026:22835-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.36.1.160000.2.17 | SUSE-SU-2026:22769-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | kernel-rt +5 | 6.12.0-160000.36.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22769-1, SUSE-SU-2026:22742-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.36.1.160000.2.17 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21388-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | kernel-rt +11 | 6.12.0-160000.36.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21388-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.18.20-20.229 | 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf6.18 +14 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 |
Advisories 7
- WID-SEC-2026-0774 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22835-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 28, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22812-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 28, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21388-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 24, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22769-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22742-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 23, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1596 Important: kernel6.18 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 16, 2026