Live › vulnerability › CVE-2026-98861
Go to dashboardIn the Linux kernel's fprobe tracing code, probe handlers can run while RCU is not watching, so unregistering a probe may free it while a handler still uses it. The sources do not state what an attacker can do beyond a possible use-after-free in the kernel.
Summary written from the sources below. Check the originals before acting.
First seen by InfraStack 2026-10-23 21:57 UTC. All times on this page are UTC.
Systems running a Linux kernel with fprobe, including setups that use BPF kprobe-multi probes that get unregistered at runtime, are the likely exposure. The sources do not say which kernel versions are affected or which configurations use fprobe by default. unknown
No product ranges from the sources yet.
uname -r to see the running kernel versionEach row is the first time that source carried this signal. The analyst’s rows are its own findings.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fprobe: Use guard(rcu_sched_notrace) and check rcu_is_watching()
unregister_fprobe() and unregister_fprobe_async() (used by BPF kprobe-multi) rely on standard RCU grace periods (synchronize_rcu() and call_rcu()) to wait until in-flight fprobe handlers complete before freeing the fprobe.
However, if an fprobe handler executes while RCU is not watching (such as in the idle loop or nohz_full extended quiescent states), standard RCU does not track preemption-disabled sections. Consequently, synchronize_rcu() does not wait for those executions, which can lead to a use-after-free if the fprobe is freed immediately after unregistration. Ensure handlers exit early when !rcu_is_watching().
Furthermore, fprobe_fgraph_entry() and fprobe_ftrace_entry() previously used guard(rcu)() and rcu_read_lock(), which invoke lockdep on every hit under CONFIG_PROVE_LOCKING. This adds overhead and can cause lockdep recursion if probed functions interact with lockdep.
Since rhltable_lookup() and rhl_for_each_entry_rcu() use rcu_dereference_all_check() (which checks rcu_read_lock_any_held()), holding preemption disabled via rcu_read_lock_sched_notrace() is fully valid and sufficient so long as rcu_is_watching() is true.
Define and use guard(rcu_sched_notrace)() across fprobe_ftrace_entry(), fprobe_fgraph_entry(), and fprobe_return(). This eliminates fast-path rcu_read_lock() and lockdep overhead while guaranteeing safe grace period synchronization.
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