audit: fix exe mark UAF in kill_rules()
kill_rules() removes mixed AUDIT_DIR and AUDIT_EXE rules when an audit
tree is pruned. It drops entry->rule.exe before removing the rule from
the RCU-visible filter lists.
After a rule has been installed with AUDIT_ADD_RULE, which requires
CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL, removing the watched directory can race with another
task that is still evaluating the rule. In that case, fsnotify can free
the executable mark before the reader reaches audit_mark_compare(),
causing a use-after-free.
KASAN reports:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in audit_mark_compare+0x8d/0xa0
Unlink the published rules from the RCU-visible lists and retain them
on tree->rules for cleanup. If any rule has an executable mark, wait for
a single RCU grace period before removing the marks and scheduling the
entries for freeing. Otherwise, call_rcu() already provides the required
deferred freeing without a synchronous wait.
Analysis
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Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
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| Linux | Linux | affected |
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Tracking
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Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: audit: fix exe mark UAF in kill_rules() kill_rules() removes mixed AUDIT_DIR and AUDIT_EXE rules when an audit tree is pruned. It drops entry->rule.exe before removing the rule from the RCU-visible filter lists. After a rule has been installed with AUDIT_ADD_RULE, which requires CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL, removing the watched directory can race with another task that is still evaluating the rule. In that case, fsnotify can free the executable mark before the reader reaches audit_mark_compare(), causing a use-after-free. KASAN reports: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in audit_mark_compare+0x8d/0xa0 Unlink the published rules from the RCU-visible lists and retain them on tree->rules for cleanup. If any rule has an executable mark, wait for a single RCU grace period before removing the marks and scheduling the entries for freeing. Otherwise, call_rcu() already provides the required deferred freeing without a synchronous wait. | |
| Title | audit: fix exe mark UAF in kill_rules() | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-18T15:51:23.224Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.376Z
Link: CVE-2026-98862
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-18T16:17:40.677
Modified: 2026-10-18T16:17:40.677
Link: CVE-2026-98862
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
No weakness.