Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm/vmalloc: prevent RCU stalls in kasan_release_vmalloc_node
When CONFIG_PAGE_OWNER is enabled, freeing KASAN shadow pages during
vmalloc cleanup triggers expensive stack unwinding that acquires RCU read
locks. Processing a large purge_list without rescheduling can cause the
task to hold CPU for extended periods (10+ seconds), leading to RCU stalls
and potential OOM conditions.
The issue manifests in purge_vmap_node() -> kasan_release_vmalloc_node()
where iterating through hundreds or thousands of vmap_area entries and
freeing their associated shadow pages causes:
rcu: INFO: rcu_preempt detected stalls on CPUs/tasks:
rcu: Tasks blocked on level-0 rcu_node (CPUs 0-1): P6229/1:b..l
...
task:kworker/0:17 state:R running task stack:28840 pid:6229
...
kasan_release_vmalloc_node+0x1ba/0xad0 mm/vmalloc.c:2299
purge_vmap_node+0x1ba/0xad0 mm/vmalloc.c:2299
Each call to kasan_release_vmalloc() can free many pages, and with
page_owner tracking, each free triggers save_stack() which performs stack
unwinding under RCU read lock. Without yielding, this creates an
unbounded RCU critical section.
Add periodic cond_resched() calls within the loop to allow:
- RCU grace periods to complete
- Other tasks to run
- Scheduler to preempt when needed
The fix uses need_resched() for immediate response under load, with a
batch count of 32 as a guaranteed upper bound to prevent worst-case stalls
even under light load.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.9 | 6.12.75 |
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 | 6.19.6-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.12.85-1 | — |
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 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.12.77-99.140 +1 | 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1702, ALAS2023-2026-1543 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf6.12 +14 | 1:6.12.77-99.140.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1543 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf6.18 +14 | 1:6.18.16-18.222.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1702 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | kernel | 6.6.138.1-1 | — |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 9 | kernel-uek +34 | 6.12.0-204.92.4.2.el10uek | ELSA-2026-50372 |
Advisories 4
- WID-SEC-2026-1454 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- ELSA-2026-50372 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Jul 2, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1543 Important: kernel6.12 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 16, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1702 Important: kernel6.18 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 16, 2026