UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46242
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eventpoll: fix ep_remove struct eventpoll / struct file UAF ep_remove() (via ep_remove_file()) cleared file->f_ep under file->f_lock but then kept using @file inside the critical section (is_file_epoll(), hlist_del_rcu() through the head, spin_unlock). A concurrent __fput() taking the eventpoll_release() fastpath in that window observed the transient NULL, skipped eventpoll_release_file() and ran to f_op->release / file_free(). For the epoll-watches-epoll case, f_op->release is ep_eventpoll_release() -> ep_clear_and_put() -> ep_free(), which kfree()s the watched struct eventpoll. Its embedded ->refs hlist_head is exactly where epi->fllink.pprev points, so the subsequent hlist_del_rcu()'s "*pprev = next" scribbles into freed kmalloc-192 memory. In addition, struct file is SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU, so the slot backing @file could be recycled by alloc_empty_file() -- reinitializing f_lock and f_ep -- while ep_remove() is still nominally inside that lock. The upshot is an attacker-controllable kmem_cache_free() against the wrong slab cache. Pin @file via epi_fget() at the top of ep_remove() and gate the critical section on the pin succeeding. With the pin held @file cannot reach refcount zero, which holds __fput() off and transitively keeps the watched struct eventpoll alive across the hlist_del_rcu() and the f_lock use, closing both UAFs. If the pin fails @file has already reached refcount zero and its __fput() is in flight. Because we bailed before clearing f_ep, that path takes the eventpoll_release() slow path into eventpoll_release_file() and blocks on ep->mtx until the waiter side's ep_clear_and_put() drops it. The bailed epi's share of ep->refcount stays intact, so the trailing ep_refcount_dec_and_test() in ep_clear_and_put() cannot free the eventpoll out from under eventpoll_release_file(); the orphaned epi is then cleaned up there. A successful pin also proves we are not racing eventpoll_release_file() on this epi, so drop the now-redundant re-check of epi->dying under f_lock. The cheap lockless READ_ONCE(epi->dying) fast-path bailout stays.
02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE
Affected packages
11 explicit affected versions
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51 explicit affected versions
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47 explicit affected versions
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44 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
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45 explicit affected versions
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7 explicit affected versions
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1 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
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43 explicit affected versions
15 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
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46 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
4 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
20 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
41 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
19 explicit affected versions
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6 explicit affected versions
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2 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
38 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
41 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
03 / CONNECTIONS
Connected vulnerabilities
04 / EVIDENCE
Source records
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eventpoll: fix ep_remove struct eventpoll / struct file UAF ep_remove() (via ep_remove_file()) cleared file->f_ep under file->f_lock but then kept using @file inside the critical section (is_file_epoll(), hlist_del_rcu() through the head, spin_unlock). A concurrent __fput() taking the eventpoll_release() fastpath in that window observed the transient NULL, skipped eventpoll_release_file() and ran to f_op->release / file_free(). For the epoll-watches-epoll case, f_op->release is ep_eventpoll_release() -> ep_clear_and_put() -> ep_free(), which kfree()s the watched struct eventpoll. Its embedded ->refs hlist_head is exactly where epi->fllink.pprev points, so the subsequent hlist_del_rcu()'s "*pprev = next" scribbles into freed kmalloc-192 memory. In addition, struct file is SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU, so the slot backing @file could be recycled by alloc_empty_file() -- reinitializing f_lock and f_ep -- while ep_remove() is still nominally inside that lock. The upshot is an attacker-controllable kmem_cache_free() against the wrong slab cache. Pin @file via epi_fget() at the top of ep_remove() and gate the critical section on the pin succeeding. With the pin held @file cannot reach refcount zero, which holds __fput() off and transitively keeps the watched struct eventpoll alive across the hlist_del_rcu() and the f_lock use, closing both UAFs. If the pin fails @file has already reached refcount zero and its __fput() is in flight. Because we bailed before clearing f_ep, that path takes the eventpoll_release() slow path into eventpoll_release_file() and blocks on ep->mtx until the waiter side's ep_clear_and_put() drops it. The bailed epi's share of ep->refcount stays intact, so the trailing ep_refcount_dec_and_test() in ep_clear_and_put() cannot free the eventpoll out from under eventpoll_release_file(); the orphaned epi is then cleaned up there. A successful pin also proves we are not racing eventpoll_release_file() on this epi, so drop the now-redundant re-check of epi->dying under f_lock. The cheap lockless READ_ONCE(epi->dying) fast-path bailout stays.
05 / REFERENCES
Further evidence
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/a6dc643c69311677c574a0f17a3f4d66a5f3744b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a6dc643c69311677c574a0f17a3f4d66a5f3744b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ced39b6a8062bac5c18a1c3df85634107eb8664a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ef4ca02e95363e78977ca04340d44fe3b4b2b81f
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-46242
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8566-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8568-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8569-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8593-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8603-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8618-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8630-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8630-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8630-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8636-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8636-2
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46242