CVE-2026-74753
Received Received - Intake

Linux Kernel perf Event Group Leader Validation Flaw

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-74753, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-08-26

Last updated on: 2026-08-26

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf: Reject exited events as group leaders perf_event_remove_on_exec() sets remove-on-exec events to the EXIT state and detaches their group relationships. The event's file descriptor can remain open, however, and perf_event_open() currently accepts that event as a group leader because its early validation rejects only REVOKED and DEAD events. A new sibling can consequently be linked to the detached leader. When the leader is closed, perf_group_detach() observes that its PERF_ATTACH_GROUP bit is already clear and skips the new sibling. The sibling then retains a group_leader pointer to the freed event. Reject group leaders in the EXIT state. Perform the check while holding the shared context mutex so that an exec in the target task cannot detach the leader between validation and group attachment. [peterz: make the earlier test fully consistent]

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-26
Last Modified
2026-08-26
Generated
2026-08-26
AI Q&A
2026-08-26
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability where perf_event_remove_on_exec() incorrectly allows exited events to act as group leaders. When an event is set to EXIT state but its file descriptor remains open, a new sibling event can be linked to it. Later, closing the leader fails to properly detach the sibling, leaving the sibling with a dangling pointer to freed memory.

Impact Analysis

This could lead to system instability or crashes due to memory corruption when the sibling event tries to access freed memory. An attacker with local access might exploit this to escalate privileges or cause denial-of-service conditions on affected systems.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve this vulnerability. Monitor vendor advisories for kernel updates and apply them promptly.

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