CVE-2026-74518
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. The allocate_file_region_entries() function, responsible for managing huge page memory regions, can suffer from list corruption. This occurs because the list_splice() operation does not properly re-initialize a list head, allowing concurrent access to shared memory maps to corrupt the internal data structure. An attacker could exploit this to cause a kernel panic, leading to a Denial of Service, or potentially a use-after-free condition.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as having an Important severity because an unprivileged local user or process can cause a kernel panic, resulting in a denial of service, or potentially achieve local privilege escalation via memory corruption. The flaw is exposed in multi-threaded or multi-process environments where concurrent operations share hugetlbfs mappings, such as virtualization configurations sharing memory backing files between host processes. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is unaffected because the flawed code is not present in its kernel codebase.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
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 | 7.8 | N/A | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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