CVE-2026-98552

What the bug is

The attach_perf_ctx_data() can race on global and !global cases. The global case is protected by global_ctx_data_rwsem and shares a single reference count using perf_ctx_data.global field. But when it races with !global case, it may miss to set the global field and result in a reference count leak. CPU1 CPU2 ---------------------------------------------------------------- attach_task_ctx_data(.global=1) attach_task_ctx_data(.global=0) cd1 = alloc_perf_ctx_data(); cd2 = alloc_perf_ctx_data(); // { .global = 0, .refcount = 1 }; try_cmpxchg(); // success, // task->perf_ctx_data = cd2 try_cmpxhg(); // fail; old = cd2 refcount_inc_not_zero(&old->refcount); // success // old.refcount = 2 free_perf_ctx_data(cd1); Then later detach_global_ctx_data() will see the data but it's not marked as global, so it won't call detach_task_ctx_data().

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/events/core.c

What this is

PERFORMANCE EVENTS SUBSYSTEMMAINTAINERS section matched on kernel/events/* · linux-perf-users@vger.kernel.org · Supported

Check it on the machine

grep -w CONFIG_PERF_EVENTS /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 code. Every release below compiles the affected file into the kernels it ships.

• bookworm, trixie, forky, sidy

y

built into the kernel image on every flavour - only a patch removes it

Build switch

CONFIG_PERF_EVENTS

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

2026-10-18 (today)source

CVSS

no vector published, unrated

Attack vector

not published

EPSS

not scored

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

unimportantsource

Subsystem

kernel/events

Upstream fixes

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

Introduced	Fixed in	Commit
6.15	6.18.55	23250517cd47
6.15	7.2.9	5286d4eb5cd7
6.15	7.3	cca4980630b3