CVE-2026-23144
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Data Access MONitor (DAMON) sysfs interface. A local attacker, typically a privileged user, could exploit a cleanup bug during DAMON context setup. If the setup fails after the attrs directory is created, stale sysfs directories are left behind. This can lead to a local denial of service, making the DAMON sysfs interface unusable until a system reboot, and potentially cause a kernel memory leak if repeatedly triggered.
Statement
A cleanup bug in the DAMON sysfs interface can leave behind stale sysfs directories when setting up a DAMON context fails after the attrs directory hierarchy has been created. The context directory setup sequence creates attrs and its subdirectories early and then proceeds to configure additional objects such as targets and schemes. If one of these later steps fails the old error path only released the attrs kobject without removing the attrs subdirectories. This leaves a partially created sysfs tree that can make the DAMON sysfs interface effectively unusable until reboot and also leaks kernel memory tied to the unremoved sysfs structures. The practical impact is local denial of service of DAMON sysfs management and a potential kernel memory leak if the failing setup path can be triggered repeatedly. Triggering the bug requires local access to the DAMON sysfs configuration interface and a way to induce setup failure. This is typically restricted to privileged users but may vary by deployment.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.3 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | Low | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | High | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (Other); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory); DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)
An attacker that can influence the allocation of resources that are not properly released could deplete the available resource pool and prevent all other processes from accessing the same type of resource. Frequently-affected resources include memory, CPU, disk space, power or battery, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
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