CVE-2026-97941
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. A race condition in the slab memory management subsystem occurs when memory is concurrently freed and refilled across multiple processor cores without proper locking. An unprivileged local user could exploit this flaw by issuing concurrent system calls that trigger memory allocation, leading to kernel list corruption. This issue could allow an attacker to achieve privilege escalation or cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via a system crash.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as having an Important severity because local authenticated users could trigger kernel memory corruption to escalate privileges or cause a denial of service across the entire host. Exploitation relies on precise timing during concurrent object allocations and deallocations in the slab allocator. Red Hat Enterprise Linux and related container products are not affected, as the flawed code was not introduced into shipped kernels.
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 | 7 | N/A | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High | 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:H/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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