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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-46333: Linux kernel · ptrace: slightly saner 'get_dumpable()' logic

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

0

Public exploit available (Metasploit) · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in 5.15.0-1109.116~20.04.1 : patch Linux kernel as a priority.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
4.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 91% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 5.15.0-1109.116~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1114.123~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1109.118~20.04.1 +79
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 15 May 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: evidence found.

    1 Metasploit module

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux@7.0.0-22.22?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-22.22
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-22.22
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws@7.0.0-1006.6?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1006.6
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1006.6
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure@7.0.0-1007.7?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1007.7
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1007.7
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde@7.0.0-1008.8?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1008.8
4 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp@7.0.0-1005.5?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1005.5
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1005.5
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-ibmpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-ibm@7.0.0-1007.7?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1007.7
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1007.7

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ptrace: slightly saner 'get_dumpable()' logic The 'dumpability' of a task is fundamentally about the memory image of the task - the concept comes from whether it can core dump or not - and makes no sense when you don't have an associated mm. And almost all users do in fact use it only for the case where the task has a mm pointer. But we have one odd special case: ptrace_may_access() uses 'dumpable' to check various other things entirely independently of the MM (typically explicitly using flags like PTRACE_MODE_READ_FSCREDS). Including for threads that no longer have a VM (and maybe never did, like most kernel threads). It's not what this flag was designed for, but it is what it is. The ptrace code does check that the uid/gid matches, so you do have to be uid-0 to see kernel thread details, but this means that the traditional "drop capabilities" model doesn't make any difference for this all. Make it all make a *bit* more sense by saying that if you don't have a MM pointer, we'll use a cached "last dumpability" flag if the thread ever had a MM (it will be zero for kernel threads since it is never set), and require a proper CAP_SYS_PTRACE capability to override.

References

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