CVE-2026-74486

What the bug is

For MISC_FMT_OPEN_FILE entries load_misc_binary() clones the registered interpreter file and denies write access to the clone via plain deny_write_access(). The clone is installed as bprm->interpreter and later released by the exec machinery through exe_file_allow_write_access() which skips the i_writecount increment for files with FMODE_FSNOTIFY_HSM set. The deny and allow side can therefore come to different conclusions when pre-content watches are in play: if a pre-content watch is added to the interpreter after registration every subsequent exec through that entry takes a write denial on the clone that is never paired with a write allowance, driving the interpreter inode's i_writecount further down with each exec and leaving the interpreter unwritable even after the entry and all its users are gone. Take the write denial via exe_file_deny_write_access() so both sides of the pairing base their decision on the same file mode, and propagate failure instead of silently ignoring it: an interpreter that is concurrently open for writing now fails the exec with ETXTBSY, exactly like an interpreter freshly opened via open_exec() would.

Where it lives

The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.

fs/binfmt_misc.c

What this is

EXEC & BINFMT API, ELFMAINTAINERS section matched on fs/*binfmt_*.c · linux-mm@kvack.org · Supported

Kernel module

binfmt_misc

Check it on the machine

grep -w CONFIG_BINFMT_MISC /boot/config-$(uname -r)

Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.

lsmod | grep -w binfmt_misc

Prints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian builds this as a loadable module. Every release below compiles it as a module on every flavour, so whether the code is in the running kernel depends on whether that module is loaded.

• bookworm, trixie, forky, sidm

m

a loadable module on every flavour - check lsmod, can be blacklisted

Build switch

CONFIG_BINFMT_MISC

From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages

Signals

Published

2026-08-15 (2 months ago)source

CVSS

no vector published, unrated

Attack vector

not published

EPSS

0.18%, higher than 6.8% of all CVEssource

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

unimportantsource

Subsystem

fs

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

Introduced	Fixed in	Commit
5.10.266	5.10.266	c65eb018c121
5.15.217	5.15.217	2bd860b7e752
6.1.184	6.1.184	eea4b7c7711b
6.6.153	6.6.153	2fdf8b07bee5
6.12.105	6.12.105	f1e7ea3c8e07
6.14	6.18.44	255a758697da
6.14	7.1.8	f0edbaf487e4
6.14	7.2	fa5990ca8fd9