CVE-2026-89791
Received
Received - Intake
Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel perf Subsystem
Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-89791, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.
Publication date: 2026-09-16
Last updated on: 2026-09-16
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
perf: Fix use-after-free when perf mmap() revival races with the last munmap()
perf_mmap_close() drops rb->mmap_count *without* holding
event->mmap_mutex (the refcount_dec_and_test() right before the
refcount_dec_and_mutex_lock() of event->mmap_count). A concurrent
perf_mmap_rb() can slot its entire "revival" path into that window
(perf_mmap holds event->mmap_mutex for its whole duration, including
rb_alloc):
munmap side (perf_mmap_close) mmap side (perf_mmap_rb)
----------------------------------- --------------------------------
rb->mmap_count 1 -> 0 (no lock) (holds event->mmap_mutex)
inc_not_zero(rb->mmap_count) fails
ring_buffer_attach(event, NULL)
rb_alloc() + attach new rb
refcount_set(&event->mmap_count, 1)
lock; event->mmap_count 1 -> 0
ring_buffer_attach(event, NULL)
ring_buffer_put() -> frees the *new* rb
The revival's refcount_set(&event->mmap_count, 1) is an invisible
1 -> 1 write: the close frees the just-revived buffer although the
other process still has it mapped -- a page-level use-after-free
allowing local privilege escalation to root by any unprivileged user
(default kernel.perf_event_paranoid=2).
Swap the order of the two counter updates: event->mmap_count is
dropped first via refcount_dec_and_mutex_lock(), so its 1 -> 0
transition and the ring_buffer_attach() stay serialized with
perf_mmap(). rb->mmap_count == 0 then implies every event using the
buffer is detached already, so the result of the rb->mmap_count drop
can gate the remaining teardown directly and detach_rest is no longer
needed.
An earlier fix for this race from Kyle Zeng and David Lee takes
event->mmap_mutex around both counter updates [0]; here the not-last
close stays lockless.
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux_kernel | linux_kernel | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
KEV
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
