audit: fix incorrect inheritable capability in CAPSET records
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: audit: fix incorrect inheritable capability in CAPSET records __audit_log_capset() records the effective capability set into the inheritable field due to a copy-paste error. Every CAPSET audit record therefore reports cap_pi (process inheritable) with the value of cap_effective instead of cap_inheritable. This silently corrupts audit data used for compliance and forensic analysis: an attacker who modifies inheritable capabilities to prepare for a privilege-escalating exec would have the change masked in the audit trail. The bug has been present since the original introduction of CAPSET audit records in 2008.
02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE
Affected packages
03 / CONNECTIONS
Connected vulnerabilities
04 / EVIDENCE
Source records
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: audit: fix incorrect inheritable capability in CAPSET records __audit_log_capset() records the effective capability set into the inheritable field due to a copy-paste error. Every CAPSET audit record therefore reports cap_pi (process inheritable) with the value of cap_effective instead of cap_inheritable. This silently corrupts audit data used for compliance and forensic analysis: an attacker who modifies inheritable capabilities to prepare for a privilege-escalating exec would have the change masked in the audit trail. The bug has been present since the original introduction of CAPSET audit records in 2008.
05 / REFERENCES
Further evidence
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a065c51a225854768b772a0b733a44d77162582
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/151ee470edc3d7ed29fe72df678f8357d2ad8ced
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/75bd76c9eb2de9afeca03dc5152ebca5fb8fc816
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/95de7bb4bf535a9288549d401ebde83cdcbf2792
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d782e4d200cd9036ef353eeb29525bfbfd13a14e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e35f3550c5b4fab33103c18654c293cee9850b0a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e4a640475e43f406fdfd56d370b1f34b0cbbc18d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/febb4bf373ac565d3fb8d1f429827bdd983be496
- https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/53xxx/CVE-2026-53287.json
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53287