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CVE-2026-89771
ring-buffer: Fix subbuf resize race with ring buffer readers
Published 2026-09-11 (37 days ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem kernel/trace. Debian urgency: unimportant.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-89771 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source
| Release | Status | Version | What this means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 12bookworm | not affected | 6.1.190-1 | Nothing to do. bookworm never shipped the vulnerable code. |
| Debian 13trixie | fixedDSA-6528-1 · 2026-09-29 · text | 6.12.111-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DSA-6528-1 shipped the fix on 2026-09-29, in 6.12.111-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.2.6-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.6-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.2.6-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.6-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 12bookworm · linux-6.12 | fixedDLA-4817-1 · 2026-10-04 · text | 6.12.111-1~deb12u1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4817-1 shipped the fix on 2026-10-04, in 6.12.111-1~deb12u1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
trace_buffer subbuf_size is read lockless in ring_buffer_read_page() and ring_buffer_read_start(), while it can simultaneously be resized with ring_buffer_subbuf_order_set(). Instead of trace_buffer::subbuf_size, use bpage::order in ring_buffer_read_start() and ring_buffer_read_page(). In ring_buffer_read_start(), even with resize_disabled, there is still a possibility of a race with a buffer modification. Hold the trace_buffer mutex to synchronise with any pending ring buffer order modification. trace_buffer::subbuf_size is now actually useless, remove it. Also, create accessors rb_subbuf_capacity() and rb_page_capacity() which return the actual size available for storing events, while rb_subbuf_size() returns the actual subbuf page-size.
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.
kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c
- What this is
- TRACINGMAINTAINERS section matched on kernel/trace/ · linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org · Maintained
Check it on the machine
grep -wE 'CONFIG_FUNCTION_TRACER|CONFIG_RETHOOK|CONFIG_RING_BUFFER|CONFIG_TRACEPOINTS|CONFIG_TRACE_CLOCK|CONFIG_TRACING' /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.
Show whether Debian builds this, per release
Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed.
- bookwormYnot built on arm64/arm64, arm64/cloud-arm64, arm64/rt/arm64, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp, ppc64el/powerpc64le
- trixieYnot built on arm64/arm64, arm64/arm64-16k, arm64/cloud-arm64, arm64/rt/arm64, armel/rpi, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp
- forky, sidYnot built on arm64/arm64, arm64/arm64-16k, arm64/cloud-arm64, arm64/rt-arm64, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae
- bookworm · linux-6.12Ynot built on arm64/arm64, arm64/arm64-16k, arm64/cloud-arm64, arm64/rt/arm64, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp
- Y
- built in where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
- Build switches
- CONFIG_FUNCTION_TRACER, CONFIG_RETHOOK, CONFIG_RING_BUFFER, CONFIG_TRACEPOINTS, CONFIG_TRACE_CLOCK, CONFIG_TRACING
- Reads as
- all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.
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
- 2026-09-11 (37 days ago)source
- CVSS
- 7.8 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- local (AV:L)source
- EPSS
- 0.12%, higher than 1.7% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- unimportantsource
- Subsystem
- kernel/trace
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | 6.12.109 | 6d666f0b8b36 |
| 6.8 | 6.18.50 | 50f4a793c4ff |
| 6.8 | 7.2.4 | 0c7c517827a4 |
| 6.8 | 7.3 | 8a5f63637890 |
Debian advisories
| Advisory | Date | Shipped to | Debian |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLA-4817-1 | 2026-10-04 | bookworm 6.12.111-1~deb12u1 | tracker |
| DSA-6528-1 | 2026-09-29 | trixie 6.12.111-1 | tracker |
Why the CNA scored it this way
Quoted from the kernel CNA's own scoring file, word for word. A highlighted metric carries the most severe value CVSS v3.1 defines for it, which is what pushes the score up. source
- AV:LAttack vector, local
- The bug is reached only via local tracefs: write() to buffer_subbuf_size_kb (ring_buffer_subbuf_order_set) racing with read()/splice() of per_cpu/*/trace_pipe_raw (ring_buffer_read_page) or open/read of trace (ring_buffer_read_start). No network, adjacent-radio, or physical path exists.
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- The attacker controls both sides: one thread writes buffer_subbuf_size_kb while another reads trace_pipe_raw or trace. ring_buffer_subbuf_order_set publishes the new subbuf_size before allocating replacement pages and without reader_lock, so the window includes synchronize_rcu() plus GFP_KERNEL allocation and is reliably retried.
- PR:LPrivileges required, low
- tracing_check_open_get_tr() enforces only LOCKDOWN_TRACEFS and DAC with no capable() check. buffer_subbuf_size_kb is 0640 and trace_pipe_raw/trace are 0440/0640, routinely delegated via tracefs gid=/mode= to tracing-group members on Android/Perfetto, ChromeOS, and developer systems, matching CVE-2024-50207 and CVE-2026-74634.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- Exploitation uses the attacker's own tracefs file descriptors and threads (write buffer_subbuf_size_kb while reading trace_pipe_raw or trace). No separate victim mount, click, or configuration action is required.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- The out-of-bounds memset/memcpy corrupt kernel ring-buffer pages and adjacent heap within the same OS security authority. This enables local privilege escalation but does not cross VM, IOMMU, container, or hardware trust boundaries.
- C:HConfidentiality impact, high
- ring_buffer_read_page() uses the lockless new subbuf_size to memset/memcpy past an old-order spare or reader page, and tracing_buffers_read copy_to_user of that oversized length discloses adjacent kernel heap to userspace. The same OOB corruption is also a high-impact read primitive.
- I:HIntegrity impact, high
- After a passing order check, ring_buffer_read_page() memset()s (new_subbuf_size-size) bytes past the still-old data page (up to hundreds of KB when order jumps 0 to 7). That kernel heap OOB write is exploitable for arbitrary writes and control-flow hijack, not merely a crash.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- The same OOB memset/memcpy corrupt adjacent kernel objects and ring-buffer metadata, producing oops/panic. The attacker chooses the order delta via buffer_subbuf_size_kb and can retrigger the race at will.