Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
tracing: Free histogram var refs regardless of how often they are referenced
Using the same variable three or more times in one hist trigger leaks the
variable reference and its strings when the trigger is removed.
commit 656fe2ba85e8 ("tracing: Use hist trigger's var_ref array to destroy
var_refs") made a trigger's var_refs[] array the only owner of a var ref:
destroy_hist_field() returns early for HIST_FIELD_FL_VAR_REF, so the field
expressions never destroy one. One entry, freed once, no count needed.
commit 8bcebc77e85f ("tracing: Fix histogram code when expression has same
var as value") then made repeated references share one object and added a
count of them. Only the increment side exists, since those expressions
still return early and never drop a reference, so __destroy_hist_field()
sees how many references were created rather than how many are left. It
frees when the decremented count is 0 or 1, so two references work and
three or more leak.
Sharing kept one array entry per object, and create_var_ref() searches and
appends within a single trigger, so nothing outside it holds the object.
Removing a trigger whose variables are still referenced is already refused
by check_var_refs() with -EBUSY. Drop the count and free unconditionally.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 4.19.100 – < 4.20, 5.4.16 – < 5.5, 5.5 | 4.20 |
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 | 7.2.7-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.12.111-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 6.1.190-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux-6.12 | 6.12.111-1~deb12u1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 24.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | 6.8.0-1036.41 | — |
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 22.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux | 7.0.0-42.42 | USN-8959-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-aws | 7.0.0-1016.17 | USN-8959-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-azure | 7.0.0-1020.21 | USN-9019-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 7.0.0-1019.19 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 7.0.0-1016.18 | USN-8959-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-gke | 7.0.0-1010.11 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-ibm +1 | 7.0.0-1017.17 | USN-8960-1, USN-8959-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-nvidia +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 7.0.0-1015.16 | USN-8959-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 7.0.0-1023.23 | USN-9021-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 7.0.0-43.43.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-riscv | 7.0.0-42.42.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux | 6.8.0-149.149 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-aws | 6.8.0-1069.74 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-aws-7.0 | 7.0.0-1017.18~24.04.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure | 6.8.0-1073.82 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 6.8.0-1071.78 | USN-9039-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-7.0 | 7.0.0-1019.19~24.04.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 6.8.0-1073.81 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-7.0 | 7.0.0-1017.19~24.04.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gke | 6.8.0-1068.77 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 6.8.0-1053.57 | USN-9023-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-hwe-7.0 | 7.0.0-42.42~24.04.1 | USN-8959-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-ibm | 6.8.0-1069.70 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency | 6.8.0-149.149.1 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia | 6.8.0-1067.70 | USN-9024-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-lowlatency | 6.8.0-1067.70.1 | USN-9040-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 6.8.0-1067.71 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle-7.0 | 7.0.0-1016.18~24.04.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 6.8.0-1068.72 | USN-9025-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv-7.0 | 7.0.0-42.42.1~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-vmware | 6.8.0-1010.10 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux +50 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-aws-6.8 | 6.8.0-1069.74~22.04.1 | USN-9024-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-6.8 | 6.8.0-1073.82~22.04.1 | USN-9026-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-6.8 | 6.8.0-1071.78~22.04.1 | USN-9026-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.8 | 6.8.0-1073.81~22.04.1 | USN-9024-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-hwe-6.8 | 6.8.0-149.149~22.04.1 | USN-9066-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-ibm-6.8 | 6.8.0-1069.70~22.04.1 | USN-9024-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8 | 6.8.0-149.149.1~22.04.1 | USN-9024-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-oracle-6.8 | 6.8.0-1067.71~22.04.1 | USN-9025-1 |
Show 12 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi-realtime | 6.8.0-2056.58 | USN-9025-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 6.8.1-1064.65 | USN-9023-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.14 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.8 | 6.8.1-1064.65~22.04.1 | USN-9024-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-aws-fips | 6.8.0-1069.74+fips1 | USN-9023-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fips | 6.8.0-1073.82+fips1 | USN-9022-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-fips | 6.8.0-1073.81+fips1 | USN-9023-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 22.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-preview 22.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | linux +21 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | linux-aws-5.4 +6 | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | kernel-source | 7.2.9-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12074-1 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | kernel | 6.6.158.1-1 | — |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 9 | kernel-uek +34 | 6.12.0-207.111.5.1.el10uek | ELSA-2026-500374 |
Advisories 16
- USN-9066-1 linux-hwe-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9021-1 linux-raspi vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9022-1 linux, linux-aws, linux-azure, linux-azure-fips, linux-gcp, linux-gke, linux-ibm, linux-lowlatency, linux-oracle, linux-vmware vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9024-1 linux-aws-6.8, linux-gcp-6.8, linux-ibm-6.8, linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8, linux-nvidia, linux-realtime-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9026-1 linux-azure-6.8, linux-azure-fde-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9039-1 linux-azure-fde vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-3579 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9040-1 linux-nvidia-lowlatency vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9020-1 linux-aws-7.0, linux-azure-fde, linux-azure-fde-7.0, linux-gcp-7.0, linux-gke, linux-oracle-7.0, linux-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8959-1 linux, linux-aws, linux-gcp, linux-hwe-7.0, linux-ibm, linux-oracle vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9025-1 linux-oracle-6.8, linux-raspi, linux-raspi-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9023-1 linux-aws-fips, linux-gcp-fips, linux-gkeop, linux-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9019-1 linux-azure vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8960-1 linux-oem-7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12074-1 kernel-devel-7.2.9-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 9, 2026
- ELSA-2026-500374 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Oct 7, 2026
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a1f1d64a0a9791c842c4646253daf6ac0313eac7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b513a4c60a7aa1f4b4c2a48544ab003cb36f1e94
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e7b6d67b43caee9183a4374d23641578ea556e6c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4cff53bb19412c6f2d90b50678de5c3903f7f96a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/94bbd65da4ae26592fa1977a74ee94218ab02a26
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4bddcb346a6cf4615ca77f69a589623b877ca267