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CVE-2026-23244NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Out-of-bounds Read

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-23244 is a high-severity out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions e42ff5abbd14927553b624c0e06d24df76156fe6, 15fb6d627484ee39ed73e202ef4720e1fa5c898e, 5a501379a010690ae9ae88bef62a1bae1aca32e6 as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.14% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to e42ff5abbd14927553b624c0e06d24df76156fe6 or 15fb6d627484ee39ed73e202ef4720e1fa5c898e or 5a501379a010690ae9ae88bef62a1bae1aca32e6 or baef52d80093bd686e70b3cb7e0512a40ae76705, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.130 or 6.12.77 or 6.18.17 or 6.19.7, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux5fd96a4e15de8442915a912233d800c56f49001d up to, but not including, e42ff5abbd14927553b624c0e06d24df76156fe6; 5fd96a4e15de8442915a912233d800c56f49001d up to, but not including, 15fb6d627484ee39ed73e202ef4720e1fa5c898e; 5fd96a4e15de8442915a912233d800c56f49001d up to, but not including, 5a501379a010690ae9ae88bef62a1bae1aca32e6; 5fd96a4e15de8442915a912233d800c56f49001d up to, but not including, baef52d80093bd686e70b3cb7e0512a40ae76705; 5fd96a4e15de8442915a912233d800c56f49001d up to, but not including, c3320153769f05fd7fe9d840cb555dd3080ae424; 6.5e42ff5abbd14927553b624c0e06d24df76156fe6, 15fb6d627484ee39ed73e202ef4720e1fa5c898e, 5a501379a010690ae9ae88bef62a1bae1aca32e6, baef52d80093bd686e70b3cb7e0512a40ae76705, c3320153769f05fd7fe9d840cb555dd3080ae424
LinuxLinux Kernel6.5.1 up to, but not including, 6.6.130; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.77; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.17; 6.19 up to, but not including, 6.19.7; 6.5; 7.06.6.130, 6.12.77, 6.18.17, 6.19.7

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
NoneNothing can be modified.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvme: fix memory allocation in nvme_pr_read_keys() nvme_pr_read_keys() takes num_keys from userspace and uses it to calculate the allocation size for rse via struct_size(). The upper limit is PR_KEYS_MAX (64K). A malicious or buggy userspace can pass a large num_keys value that results in a 4MB allocation attempt at most, causing a warning in the page allocator when the order exceeds MAX_PAGE_ORDER. To fix this, use kvzalloc() instead of kzalloc(). This bug has the same reasoning and fix with the patch below: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-block/[email protected]/ Warning log: WARNING: mm/page_alloc.c:5216 at __alloc_frozen_pages_noprof+0x5aa/0x2300 mm/page_alloc.c:5216, CPU#1: syz-executor117/272 Modules linked in: CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 272 Comm: syz-executor117 Not tainted 6.19.0 #1 PREEMPT(voluntary) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:__alloc_frozen_pages_noprof+0x5aa/0x2300 mm/page_alloc.c:5216 Code: ff 83 bd a8 fe ff ff 0a 0f 86 69 fb ff ff 0f b6 1d f9 f9 c4 04 80 fb 01 0f 87 3b 76 30 ff 83 e3 01 75 09 c6 05 e4 f9 c4 04 01 <0f> 0b 48 c7 85 70 fe ff ff 00 00 00 00 e9 8f fd ff ff 31 c0 e9 0d RSP: 0018:ffffc90000fcf450 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 1ffff920001f9ea0 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 000000000000000b RDI: 0000000000040dc0 RBP: ffffc90000fcf648 R08: ffff88800b6c3380 R09: 0000000000000001 R10: ffffc90000fcf840 R11: ffff88807ffad280 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: 0000000000040dc0 R14: 0000000000000001 R15: ffffc90000fcf620 FS: 0000555565db33c0(0000) GS:ffff8880be26c000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 000000002000000c CR3: 0000000003b72000 CR4: 00000000000006f0 Call Trace: <TASK> alloc_pages_mpol+0x236/0x4d0 mm/mempolicy.c:2486 alloc_frozen_pages_noprof+0x149/0x180 mm/mempolicy.c:2557 ___kmalloc_large_node+0x10c/0x140 mm/slub.c:5598 __kmalloc_large_node_noprof+0x25/0xc0 mm/slub.c:5629 __do_kmalloc_node mm/slub.c:5645 [inline] __kmalloc_noprof+0x483/0x6f0 mm/slub.c:5669 kmalloc_noprof include/linux/slab.h:961 [inline] kzalloc_noprof include/linux/slab.h:1094 [inline] nvme_pr_read_keys+0x8f/0x4c0 drivers/nvme/host/pr.c:245 blkdev_pr_read_keys block/ioctl.c:456 [inline] blkdev_common_ioctl+0x1b71/0x29b0 block/ioctl.c:730 blkdev_ioctl+0x299/0x700 block/ioctl.c:786 vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:597 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:583 [inline] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x1bf/0x220 fs/ioctl.c:583 x64_sys_call+0x1280/0x21b0 mnt/fuzznvme_1/fuzznvme/linux-build/v6.19/./arch/x86/include/generated/asm/syscalls_64.h:17 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x71/0x330 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e RIP: 0033:0x7fb893d3108d Code: 28 c3 e8 46 1e 00 00 66 0f 1f 44 00 00 f3 0f 1e fa 48 89 f8 48 89 f7 48 89 d6 48 89 ca 4d 89 c2 4d 89 c8 4c 8b 4c 24 08 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 c7 c1 b8 ff ff ff f7 d8 64 89 01 48 RSP: 002b:00007ffff61f2f38 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000010 RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007ffff61f3138 RCX: 00007fb893d3108d RDX: 0000000020000040 RSI: 00000000c01070ce RDI: 0000000000000003 RBP: 0000000000000001 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 00007ffff61f3138 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000000001 R13: 00007ffff61f3128 R14: 00007fb893dae530 R15: 0000000000000001 </TASK>

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Read

The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.

More Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities (CWE-125)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities

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