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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-74342: Linux kernel · kernfs: link kn to its parent before the LSM init hook

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

0

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity
Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 15 Aug 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  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

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Ubuntu 26.10linuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-14.14 – 7.3.0-9.9
6 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1004.4 – 7.3.0-1003.3
5 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1004.4 – 7.3.0-1003.3
5 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threatsAffected
  • =7.0.0-1004.4
  • =7.3.0-1002.3
  • =7.3.0-1003.4
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.3.0-1003.3
5 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-oraclepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.3.0-1003.3
5 affected builds
Fixed in–

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

AI-suggested

A fix is available that moves the assignment of the kernfs node's parent pointer (kn->__parent) to before the LSM init hook is invoked, preventing the NULL pointer dereference. Users should apply the official Linux kernel updates that include this fix. Patch status is not explicitly stated in the input data, so check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's kernfs subsystem causes a NULL pointer dereference leading to a kernel panic when the LSM (Linux Security Module) init hook is invoked before the kernfs node's parent pointer is properly set. This occurs on SELinux-enabled systems during the creation of the first cgroup directory under /sys/fs/cgroup with a labelled parent, causing a deterministic kernel panic at PID 1 (systemd). The issue arises because kernfs_xattr_set() and kernfs_xattr_get() access kernfs_root(kn), which relies on kn->__parent being initialized, but this pointer is set too late in the node creation process. The fix involves moving the assignment of kn->__parent to before the LSM init hook call.

References

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