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VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2026-99226: Linux kernel · keys: Avoid the owner account dereference in named keyring lookup

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in c9664f780f861dd9f11f120c7a03ed0993671ebb : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 2 Nov 2026, 16:31 UTC

Severity
High

Rated High by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none
Patch
Available – fixed in c9664f780f861dd9f11f120c7a03ed0993671ebb, b0830a26e2c3008a6e21863126b4a0e68b2761cd, aa03c8fb4334f14d218020f7431debf2b7766865 +5

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 2 Nov 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: 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 2 Nov 2026.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 2ea190d0a006ce5218baa6e798512652446a605a, < c9664f780f861dd9f11f120c7a03ed0993671ebb
Fixed in
  • c9664f780f861dd9f11f120c7a03ed0993671ebb
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 2ea190d0a006ce5218baa6e798512652446a605a, < b0830a26e2c3008a6e21863126b4a0e68b2761cd
Fixed in
  • b0830a26e2c3008a6e21863126b4a0e68b2761cd
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 2ea190d0a006ce5218baa6e798512652446a605a, < aa03c8fb4334f14d218020f7431debf2b7766865
Fixed in
  • aa03c8fb4334f14d218020f7431debf2b7766865
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 2ea190d0a006ce5218baa6e798512652446a605a, < 6763329f673d261641c79212abf773af77b2c922
Fixed in
  • 6763329f673d261641c79212abf773af77b2c922
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 2ea190d0a006ce5218baa6e798512652446a605a, < 77249d4b1bb5ad43552b7023c4a0978937aa7a56
Fixed in
  • 77249d4b1bb5ad43552b7023c4a0978937aa7a56
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 2ea190d0a006ce5218baa6e798512652446a605a, < 40b12b93ae4ab9e22c3d571e9b09fd08afad53f6
Fixed in
  • 40b12b93ae4ab9e22c3d571e9b09fd08afad53f6

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented and is available in the Linux kernel source code revisions identified by the fixed commit hashes. Users and administrators should update their Linux kernel to a version that includes these fixes to mitigate this vulnerability. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

CVE-2026-99226 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's key management subsystem. It arises from a race condition during named keyring lookup where the owner account pointer can be dereferenced after being freed, leading to a potential read of freed memory. The flaw occurs because the lookup reads the owner UID under a lock that does not protect the lifetime of the key_user structure, allowing concurrent ownership changes to free the old user while it is still being accessed.

References

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