CVE-2026-98866 (GCVE-0-2026-98866)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-10-18 15:51 – Updated: 2026-10-18 15:51
VLAI
Title
sched/cache: Introduce task_struct->sched_cache_grp to fix UAF
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/cache: Introduce task_struct->sched_cache_grp to fix UAF Add a sched_cache_grp pointer to task_struct so that scheduler code can access the cache group directly via the task, without going through mm->sched_cache_grp. This decouples the scheduler's hot-path accesses from the mm_struct. Each task holds its own refcount on the sched_cache_group, separate from the reference held by its mm_struct. The reference is acquired in copy_mm() (fork) and exec_mmap() (exec), and released in exit_mm(). This fixes the use-after-free when account_mm_sched() reaches the group through a task whose mm is being switched, as reported by Hyunwoo: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/apPb-Dr4nPYuHQOK@v4bel/ Convert all scheduler code in fair.c and exit.c to use p->sched_cache_grp instead of p->mm->sched_cache_grp. Keep the fork/exec/exit reference management out of the generic mm paths: add sched_cache_fork(), sched_cache_fork_cleanup(), sched_cache_exec_mmap() and sched_cache_exit_mm() in kernel/sched/cache_sched.c (with empty stubs for !CONFIG_SCHED_CACHE), so fs/exec.c, kernel/fork.c and kernel/exit.c each call one helper instead of open-coding the refcounting under #ifdef. Also add sched_cache_group_get() and task_cache_group_get().
Severity
No CVSS data available.
Assigner
Linux CNA under the mitre root
CNA scorecard D 53/100 over 7100 records in the last 180 days details
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: df0d98475954d655571979aa061ecb07d7e00392 , < 9436130e6da72af63289a4acb3aa0c1df07a3928 (git)
Affected: df0d98475954d655571979aa061ecb07d7e00392 , < b636fef85bda7d1bab9c0a45067ab1508d79d946 (git)
guessed Create a notification for this product.
Linux Linux Affected: 7.2
Unaffected: 0 , < 7.2 (semver)
Unaffected: 7.2.10 , ≤ 7.2.* (semver)
Unaffected: 7.3-rc5 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
guessed Create a notification for this product.
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/exec.c",
            "include/linux/sched.h",
            "kernel/exit.c",
            "kernel/fork.c",
            "kernel/sched/fair.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "9436130e6da72af63289a4acb3aa0c1df07a3928",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "df0d98475954d655571979aa061ecb07d7e00392",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "b636fef85bda7d1bab9c0a45067ab1508d79d946",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "df0d98475954d655571979aa061ecb07d7e00392",
              "versionType": "git"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "fs/exec.c",
            "include/linux/sched.h",
            "kernel/exit.c",
            "kernel/fork.c",
            "kernel/sched/fair.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "7.2"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "7.2",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.2.10",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.3-rc5",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.2.10",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "7.2",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.3-rc5",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "7.2",
                  "vulnerable": true
                }
              ],
              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nsched/cache: Introduce task_struct-\u003esched_cache_grp to fix UAF\n\nAdd a sched_cache_grp pointer to task_struct so that scheduler code\ncan access the cache group directly via the task, without going\nthrough mm-\u003esched_cache_grp.  This decouples the scheduler\u0027s hot-path\naccesses from the mm_struct.\n\nEach task holds its own refcount on the sched_cache_group, separate\nfrom the reference held by its mm_struct.  The reference is acquired\nin copy_mm() (fork) and exec_mmap() (exec), and released in exit_mm().\nThis fixes the use-after-free when account_mm_sched() reaches the group\nthrough a task whose mm is being switched, as reported by Hyunwoo:\n\n  https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/apPb-Dr4nPYuHQOK@v4bel/\n\nConvert all scheduler code in fair.c and exit.c to use\np-\u003esched_cache_grp instead of p-\u003emm-\u003esched_cache_grp.\n\nKeep the fork/exec/exit reference management out of the generic mm\npaths: add sched_cache_fork(), sched_cache_fork_cleanup(),\nsched_cache_exec_mmap() and sched_cache_exit_mm() in\nkernel/sched/cache_sched.c (with empty stubs for !CONFIG_SCHED_CACHE),\nso fs/exec.c, kernel/fork.c and kernel/exit.c each call one helper\ninstead of open-coding the refcounting under #ifdef.  Also add\nsched_cache_group_get() and task_cache_group_get()."
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-10-18T15:51:27.883Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9436130e6da72af63289a4acb3aa0c1df07a3928"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b636fef85bda7d1bab9c0a45067ab1508d79d946"
        }
      ],
      "title": "sched/cache: Introduce task_struct-\u003esched_cache_grp to fix UAF",
      "x_generator": {
        "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
      }
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-98866",
    "datePublished": "2026-10-18T15:51:27.883Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-09-25T10:25:14.377Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-10-18T15:51:27.883Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "nvd": {
      "cve": {
        "affected": [
          {
            "affectedData": [
              {
                "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
                "product": "Linux",
                "programFiles": [
                  "fs/exec.c",
                  "include/linux/sched.h",
                  "kernel/exit.c",
                  "kernel/fork.c",
                  "kernel/sched/fair.c"
                ],
                "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                "vendor": "Linux",
                "versions": [
                  {
                    "lessThan": "9436130e6da72af63289a4acb3aa0c1df07a3928",
                    "status": "affected",
                    "version": "df0d98475954d655571979aa061ecb07d7e00392",
                    "versionType": "git"
                  },
                  {
                    "lessThan": "b636fef85bda7d1bab9c0a45067ab1508d79d946",
                    "status": "affected",
                    "version": "df0d98475954d655571979aa061ecb07d7e00392",
                    "versionType": "git"
                  }
                ]
              },
              {
                "defaultStatus": "affected",
                "product": "Linux",
                "programFiles": [
                  "fs/exec.c",
                  "include/linux/sched.h",
                  "kernel/exit.c",
                  "kernel/fork.c",
                  "kernel/sched/fair.c"
                ],
                "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                "vendor": "Linux",
                "versions": [
                  {
                    "status": "affected",
                    "version": "7.2"
                  },
                  {
                    "lessThan": "7.2",
                    "status": "unaffected",
                    "version": "0",
                    "versionType": "semver"
                  },
                  {
                    "lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*",
                    "status": "unaffected",
                    "version": "7.2.10",
                    "versionType": "semver"
                  },
                  {
                    "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
                    "status": "unaffected",
                    "version": "7.3-rc5",
                    "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ],
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
          }
        ],
        "cveTags": [],
        "descriptions": [
          {
            "lang": "en",
            "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nsched/cache: Introduce task_struct-\u003esched_cache_grp to fix UAF\n\nAdd a sched_cache_grp pointer to task_struct so that scheduler code\ncan access the cache group directly via the task, without going\nthrough mm-\u003esched_cache_grp.  This decouples the scheduler\u0027s hot-path\naccesses from the mm_struct.\n\nEach task holds its own refcount on the sched_cache_group, separate\nfrom the reference held by its mm_struct.  The reference is acquired\nin copy_mm() (fork) and exec_mmap() (exec), and released in exit_mm().\nThis fixes the use-after-free when account_mm_sched() reaches the group\nthrough a task whose mm is being switched, as reported by Hyunwoo:\n\n  https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/apPb-Dr4nPYuHQOK@v4bel/\n\nConvert all scheduler code in fair.c and exit.c to use\np-\u003esched_cache_grp instead of p-\u003emm-\u003esched_cache_grp.\n\nKeep the fork/exec/exit reference management out of the generic mm\npaths: add sched_cache_fork(), sched_cache_fork_cleanup(),\nsched_cache_exec_mmap() and sched_cache_exit_mm() in\nkernel/sched/cache_sched.c (with empty stubs for !CONFIG_SCHED_CACHE),\nso fs/exec.c, kernel/fork.c and kernel/exit.c each call one helper\ninstead of open-coding the refcounting under #ifdef.  Also add\nsched_cache_group_get() and task_cache_group_get()."
          }
        ],
        "id": "CVE-2026-98866",
        "lastModified": "2026-10-18T16:17:41.117",
        "metrics": {},
        "published": "2026-10-18T16:17:41.117",
        "references": [
          {
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
            "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9436130e6da72af63289a4acb3aa0c1df07a3928"
          },
          {
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
            "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b636fef85bda7d1bab9c0a45067ab1508d79d946"
          }
        ],
        "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "vulnStatus": "Received"
      }
    }
  }
}



Log in or create an account to share your comment.




Tags
Taxonomy of the tags.




Drag nodes to arrange them. Double-click a related vulnerability to open it, or a source to visit its link. The Physics button on the left tunes the layout and the simulation; the legend at the bottom left hides or shows nodes by kind and by sighting type.

Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

Sightings

Author Source Type Date Other

Nomenclature

  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
  • Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Vulnerability timeline

Sightings and recorded dates, grouped by day · UTC

JSON

Loading timeline…




    Related by attack behaviour

    Vulnerabilities whose description is nearest to this one in the vector space of the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-biencoder model. This is a similarity search over the bi-encoder space (plain cosine), not a classification, and it has no measured accuracy.