CVE-2026-74606
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's eventfs component. The eventfs_remove_rec() function contains a use-after-free vulnerability where it attempts to access memory after it has been deallocated. This can occur during recursive removal of child entries. A local attacker could exploit this flaw to cause memory corruption, potentially leading to a denial of service or arbitrary code execution.
Statement
A MODERATE severity use-after-free flaw was found in the Linux kernel's eventfs implementation, which affects the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 and Red Hat In-Vehicle OS 2 kernels. When eventfs_remove_rec() recursively removes child entries, the list_for_each_entry() iterator advances by reading list.next from the child that was just removed. If free_ei() drops the final reference, release_ei() reuses the list/rcu union to queue an SRCU callback, so the child may already be freed when the iterator reads the next pointer. A local attacker able to trigger eventfs removal, for example via tracefs event teardown, could exploit this race to cause memory corruption; the most realistic consequence is a kernel crash resulting in denial of service. Red Hat rates this flaw MODERATE (CVSS 5.5, availability impact only) rather than the upstream CVE.org severity of IMPORTANT (7.8) because exploitation requires local access, privileges to interact with the tracing subsystem, and winning a narrow race condition. Older Red Hat Enterprise Linux streams (RHEL 6, 7, 8, and 9) do not contain the vulnerable code and are therefore not affected. For the affected RHEL 10 and Red Hat In-Vehicle OS 2 streams the fix is currently deferred: given the local, privilege-gated, and race-dependent nature of the trigger, an out-of-cycle update was not warranted, and the residual risk is a local denial of service through a kernel crash if a user with tracefs access can trigger eventfs teardown.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | 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 | None | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | 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:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory
If the expired pointer is used in a read operation, an attacker might be able to control data read in by the application.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
If the expired pointer references a memory location that is not accessible to the product, or points to a location that is "malformed" (such as NULL) or larger than expected by a read or write operation, then a crash may occur.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
If the expired pointer is used in a function call, or points to unexpected data in a write operation, then code execution may be possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.