CVE-2026-99205
Received Received - Intake

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Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-99205, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-10-28

Last updated on: 2026-10-28

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/core: Call wakeup_preempt() for queued tasks during class change Paul reported recent RCU changes exposed a lost resched where CPU idles with a rcutorture thread waiting while being completely runnable. Dumping the rq state at the time of idling with runnable tasks showed the following: rq->next_class = &fair_sched_class rq->nr_running = 1 rq->cfs.h_nr_queued = 0 rq->rt.rt_nr_running = 1 Although the waiting task was an RT task, "rq->next_class" did not point to rt_sched_class and was stuck at the lower priority fair_sched_class. Inspecting sched_change_end() revealed the following race with __sched_setscheduler() for queued, but non-running tasks: CPU0 CPU1 ==== ==== __schedule() /* * rq->donor is a fair task that blocks. * rq->next_class = &fair_sched_class */ rq_lock(rq0) pick_next_task() /* nr_running = 0 */ pick_task_fair() sched_balance_newidle() raw_spin_rq_unlock(rq0) rq_lock(rq0) activate_task(rq0, p) /* p is a fair task */ rq0->nr_running++; rq0->cfs.h_nr_queued++; wakeup_preempt(rq, p) rq->next_class = &fair_sched_class resched_curr() rq_unlock(rq0) __sched_setscheduler(p) /* p is moved to SCHED_RR */ task_rq_lock(p) sched_change_begin() rq0->cfs.h_nr_queued--; rq0->rt.rt_nr_running++; sched_change_end() /* * p->on_rq = 1 (ctx->queued) * but p is not rq->donor * (!ctx->running) hence * resched_curr() is and * rq->next_class upgrade is * skipped. */ task_rq_unlock() raw_spin_rq_lock(rq0) /* * rq->nr_running = 1 * rq->cfs.h_nr_queued = 0 * rq->rt.rt_nr_running = 1 * rq->next_class = &fair_sched_class */ if (rq->cfs.h_nr_queued && ...) /* Above is false */ if (rq_modified_above(this_rq, &fair_sched_class)) /* Also false since rq->next_class is still fair */ /* * sched_balance_newidle() is considered to * have failed to pull any fair tasks and no * other wakeups were detected. */ return NULL; /* pick_task_fair() */ pick_task_idle() return rq->idle; next = rq->idle; /* Preemption indicators are lost */ clear_tsk_need_resched(prev); clear_preempt_need_resched(); rq->curr = rq->idle; !!! rq->idle switches in with rq->running == 1 but !need_resched() !!! In simple words, enqueue, followed by a class change of the newly queued task goes unnoticed in rq->next_class indicator and sched_balance_newidle() sees no fair task, nor any higher priority task enqueued. The above sequence will lead to CPU idling with a runnable task on the CPU. Call wakeup_preempt() for ctx->queued cases in sched_change_end() to re-evaluate rq->next_class after class change (ENQUEUE_CLASS) and set the NEED_RESCHED indicator accordingly. Newidle balance will correctly see an enqueue of a higher priority t ---truncated---

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-28
Last Modified
2026-10-28
Generated
2026-10-28
AI Q&A
2026-10-28
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 704069649b5bfb7bf1fe32c0281fe9036806a59a
Linux Linux 704069649b5bfb7bf1fe32c0281fe9036806a59a
Linux Linux 7.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability where a race condition during task scheduling causes the system to idle even when a runnable task is present. When a task is enqueued and its scheduling class is changed, the system fails to update the next_class indicator properly. This leads to the CPU idling incorrectly, leaving a runnable task unexecuted.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's scheduler and requires kernel-level inspection. Detection involves checking for CPU idling with runnable tasks, which may require kernel debugging tools like ftrace, perf, or examining scheduler state via /proc or /sys filesystems. Commands like 'cat /proc/sched_debug' or 'perf sched latency' may help identify scheduler anomalies.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause performance degradation or unexpected delays in task execution. In worst cases, it may lead to system unresponsiveness or missed deadlines for critical tasks, especially in real-time or high-priority workloads.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel patches from your Linux distribution to resolve the scheduler issue. If immediate patching is not possible, monitor CPU idle states and runnable tasks for anomalies. Avoid frequent class changes of queued tasks as a temporary workaround.

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