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Unscored CVE-2026-98220 EUVD-2026-93148GHSA-h6hx-xpp5-6vc3

sched_ext: Fix NULL sched deref in kfunc sub-sched error paths

Published Oct 6, 2026 · Updated Oct 19, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.14 Package: linux-aws-6.17 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-aws-6.5 Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.11 Package: linux-azure-6.14 Package: linux-azure-6.17 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-6.5 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.14 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.17 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-azure-nvidia-6.14 Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.11 Package: linux-gcp-6.14 Package: linux-gcp-6.17 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gcp-6.5 Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop Package: linux-gkeop-5.15 Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-hwe-6.14 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-intel-iot-realtime Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-nvidia-6.11 Package: linux-nvidia-6.17 Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-nvidia-6.5 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oem-6.11 Package: linux-oem-6.14 Package: linux-oem-6.5 Package: linux-oem-6.8 Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-oracle-6.14 Package: linux-oracle-6.17 Package: linux-oracle-6.5 Package: linux-raspi-realtime Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-realtime Package: linux-realtime-6.14 Package: linux-realtime-6.17 Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-riscv-6.14 Package: linux-riscv-6.17 Package: linux-riscv-6.5 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Package: linux-starfive-6.5 Package: linux-vmware Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

sched_ext: Fix NULL sched deref in kfunc sub-sched error paths

When the root scheduler has sub-scheds attached, the COMPAT kfunc
wrappers scx_bpf_select_cpu_and() and scx_bpf_dsq_insert_vtime() refuse
the call and report to @p's scheduler:

scx_error(scx_task_sched(p), "... must be used");

The wrappers are reachable with tasks that have no scheduler.
scx_bpf_select_cpu_and() is in the select_cpu kfunc group, which
scx_kfunc_context_filter() opens to BPF_PROG_TYPE_SYSCALL programs;
scx_bpf_dsq_insert_vtime() is in the enqueue_dispatch group, which
ops.enqueue() and ops.dispatch() may call with any KF_RCU task -- the
group has no kf_tasks validation, and scx_dsq_insert_preamble() checks
task ownership with scx_task_on_sched() precisely because @p may be an
arbitrary task.

scx_task_sched(p) is p->scx.sched, which is NULL for tasks past
sched_ext_dead() -- which clears it via scx_disable_and_exit_task() on
exit -- and for idle tasks, which the enable paths skip as they are
never scheduled through SCX. It is also an rcu_dereference_protected()
that expects @p's pi_lock or rq lock, which neither wrapper holds.
Passing NULL to scx_error() reaches scx_vexit(), which dereferences
sch->exit_info, oopsing the kernel.

One concrete trigger exercised while developing the fix: a
BPF_PROG_TYPE_SYSCALL program calling the select_cpu_and wrapper on an
exited-but-not-reaped task while a sub-scheduler was attached (its pid
stays findable while the zombie is unreaped; faulting instruction is
the scx_vexit() prologue "mov r15,[rdi+0x398]" with RDI=NULL and 0x398
the offset of sch->exit_info):

sched_ext: BPF scheduler "kfunc_subsched_null" enabled
sched_ext: BPF sub-scheduler "kfunc_subsched_null" enabled
sched_ext: Unassociated program run_select_cpu_ (id 76)
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000398
#PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode
#PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page
Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI
CPU: 7 UID: 0 PID: 8201 Comm: kfunc_test_runn Tainted: G W
RIP: 0010:scx_vexit+0x25/0xa0
Code: ... <4c> 8b bf 98 03 00 00 ...
CR2: 0000000000000398
Call Trace:
<TASK>
__scx_exit+0x4f/0x70
scx_bpf_select_cpu_and+0xab/0xb0
bpf_prog_430ed61a7b66e03a_run_select_cpu_and+0x9c/0xe7
? __x64_sys_bpf+0x2c/0x40
bpf_prog_test_run_syscall+0x130/0x2f0
__sys_bpf+0x930/0x10d0
? __x64_sys_bpf+0x2c/0x40
__x64_sys_bpf+0x2c/0x40
do_syscall_64+0xbc/0x460
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
</TASK>

Read @p's scheduler under RCU instead, which the wrappers can do from
their guard(rcu)(): fault it when it can be determined, and when it
can't be determined -- @p is a task past sched_ext_dead() or an idle
task -- there is nothing obviously wrong to report, so just refuse the
call as before without faulting any scheduler.

These COMPAT wrappers are scheduled for eventual removal once the
deprecation grace period elapses, but until then -- and regardless of
their removal timeline -- they must not oops the kernel on a task they
are handed.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 7.1 7.2.8

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.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 linux 7.2.8-1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS linux-riscv +25 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 —
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS linux-realtime-6.14 +1 No fix yet —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Tumbleweed kernel-source 7.2.10-1.1 openSUSE-SU-2026:12131-1

Advisories 2

References