CVE-2026-93243: Linux kernel · mm/secretmem: properly account locked pages
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.8 Medium.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 15% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 24 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| 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 for this vulnerability has been implemented in the Linux kernel by properly accounting locked pages per user and removing the RLIMIT_MEMLOCK bypass for privileged users. Users should update to a Linux kernel version that includes this fix. Since this is a kernel-level fix, applying the official kernel update from the vendor or distribution is the recommended remediation. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the provided data; users should consult their vendor or distribution advisory for the exact fixed versions and apply updates accordingly.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's secretmem subsystem allows users to bypass the RLIMIT_MEMLOCK limit by mapping and unmapping memory, causing locked pages to remain unevictable and unaccounted for in process memory usage. This can lead to excessive consumption of system memory with unevictable folios, potentially causing system instability. The flaw arises because secretmem folios are tracked by inode lifetime rather than per-process limits, and the RLIMIT_MEMLOCK enforcement was improperly implemented. The issue has been resolved by properly accounting locked pages per user and removing misleading mlock() semantics.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-93243 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-93243 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/97d34aa65c29cca85e3e9050f4c936389b38a054 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/853043cb129473ff2fa0090602be944d96b9d5c9 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b4f72bdddff69819d665395376329ef21f37a06 (opens in a new tab)