Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
sched_ext: Fix starvation of scx_enable() under fair-class saturation
During scx_enable(), the READY -> ENABLED task switching loop changes the
calling thread's sched_class from fair to ext. Since fair has higher
priority than ext, saturating fair-class workloads can indefinitely starve
the enable thread, hanging the system. This was introduced when the enable
path switched from preempt_disable() to scx_bypass() which doesn't protect
against fair-class starvation. Note that the original preempt_disable()
protection wasn't complete either - in partial switch modes, the calling
thread could still be starved after preempt_enable() as it may have been
switched to ext class.
Fix it by offloading the enable body to a dedicated system-wide RT
(SCHED_FIFO) kthread which cannot be starved by either fair or ext class
tasks. scx_enable() lazily creates the kthread on first use and passes the
ops pointer through a struct scx_enable_cmd containing the kthread_work,
then synchronously waits for completion.
The workfn runs on a different kthread from sch->helper (which runs
disable_work), so it can safely flush disable_work on the error path
without deadlock.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.12 | 6.12.78 |
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 | 6.19.10-1 | — |
| 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 +26 | 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-6.18.20-20.229 +1 | 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596, ALAS2023-2026-1594 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf6.12 +14 | 1:6.12.79-101.147.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1594 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf6.18 +14 | 1:6.18.20-20.229.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1596 |
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 11, 2026
- ELSA-2026-50372 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Jul 2, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1594 Important: kernel6.12 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 16, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1596 Important: kernel6.18 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 16, 2026