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Response snapshot Nov 3, 2026, 21:16 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-64560

Linux kernel: posix-cpu-timers: Prevent UAF caused by non-leader exec() race

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: posix-cpu-timers: Prevent UAF caused by non-leader exec() race Wongi and Jungwoo decoded and reported a non-leader exec() related race which can result in an UAF: sys_timer_delete() exec() posix_cpu_timer_del() // Observes old leader p = pid_task(pid, pid_type); de_thread() switch_leader(); release_task(old_leader) __exit_signal(old_leader) sighand = lock(old_leader, sighand); posix_cpu_timers*_exit(); sighand = lock_task_sighand(p)…

Published Updated

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.8 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
Not estimated
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2026-64560 (opens a new tab)

What happened

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

posix-cpu-timers: Prevent UAF caused by non-leader exec() race

Wongi and Jungwoo decoded and reported a non-leader exec() related race which can result in an UAF:

sys_timer_delete() exec() posix_cpu_timer_del() // Observes old leader p = pid_task(pid, pid_type); de_thread() switch_leader(); release_task(old_leader) __exit_signal(old_leader) sighand = lock(old_leader, sighand); posix_cpu_timers*_exit(); sighand = lock_task_sighand(p) unhash_task(old_leader); sh = lock(p, sighand) old_leader->sighand = NULL; unlock(sighand); (p->sighand == NULL) unlock(sh) return NULL;

Continue reading

// Returns without action if(!sighand) return 0; free_posix_timer();

This is "harmless" unless the deleted timer was armed and enqueued in p->signal because on exec() a TGID targeted timer is inherited.

As sys_timer_delete() freed the underlying posix timer object run_posix_cpu_timers() or any timerqueue related add/delete operations on other timers will access the freed object's timerqueue node, which results in an UAF.

There is a similar problem vs. posix_cpu_timer_set(). For regular posix timers it just transiently returns -ESRCH to user space, but for the use case in do_cpu_nanosleep() it's the same UAF just that the k_itimer is allocated on the stack.

Also posix_cpu_timer_rearm() fails to rearm the timer, which means it stops to expire.

While debating solutions Frederic pointed out another problem:

posix_cpu_timer_del(tmr) __exit_signal(p) posix_cpu_timers*_exit(p); unhash_task(p); p->sighand = NULL; sh = lock_task_sighand(p) sighand = p->sighand; if (!sighand) return NULL; lock(sighand);

if (!sh) WARN_ON_ONCE(timer_queued(tmr));

On weakly ordered architectures it is not guaranteed that posix_cpu_timer_del() will observe the stores in posix_cpu_timers*_exit() when p->sighand is observed as NULL, which means the WARN() can be a false positive.

Solve these issues by:

1) Changing the store in __exit_signal() to smp_store_release().

2) Adding a smp_acquire__after_ctrl_dep() into the !sighand path of lock_task_sighand().

3) Creating a helper function for looking up the task and locking sighand which does not return when sighand == NULL. Instead it retries the task lookup and only if that fails it gives up.

4) Using that helper in the three affected functions.

#1/#2 ensures that the reader side which observes sighand == NULL also observes all preceeding stores, i.e. the stores in posix_cpu_timers*_exit() and the ones in unhash_task().

#3 ensures that the above described non-leader exec() situation is handled gracefully. When the task lookup returns the old leader, but sighand == NULL then it retries. In the non-leader exec() case the subsequent task lookup will observe the new leader due to #1/#2. In normal exit() scenarios the subsequent lookup fails.

When the task lookup fails, the function also checks whether the timer is still enqueued and issues a warning if that's the case. Unfortunately there is nothing which can be done about it, but as the task is already not longer visible the timer should not be accessed anymore. This check also requires memory ordering, which is not provided when the first lookup fails.

To achieve that the check is preceeded by a smp_rmb() which pairs with the smp_wmb() in write_seqlock() in __exit_signal(). That ensures that the stores in posix_cpu_timers*_exit() are visible.

The history of the non-leader exec() issue goes back to the early days of posix CPU timers, which stored a pointer to the group leader task in the timer. That obviously fails when a non-leader exec() switches the leader. commit e0a70217107e ("posix-cpu-timers: workaround to suppress the problems with mt exec") added a temporary workaround for that in 2010 which surv ---truncated---

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

7.8

Version 3.1As of

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

Not available

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

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Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-64560 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  4. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, November 3). Linux kernel: posix-cpu-timers: Prevent UAF caused by non-leader exec() race (CVE-2026-64560). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-64560

MLA

"Linux kernel: posix-cpu-timers: Prevent UAF caused by non-leader exec() race (CVE-2026-64560)." KEVWire, 3 Nov. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-64560.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: posix-cpu-timers: Prevent UAF caused by non-leader exec() race (CVE-2026-64560)." Last modified November 3, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-64560.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: posix-cpu-timers: Prevent UAF caused by non-leader exec() race (Jul 29, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

posix-cpu-timers: Prevent UAF caused by non-leader exec() race

Wongi and Jungwoo decoded and reported a non-leader exec() related race
which can result in an UAF:

 sys_timer_delete()			exec()
   posix_cpu_timer_del()
   // Observes old leader
   p = pid_task(pid, pid_type);		de_thread()
   					  switch_leader();
					  release_task(old_leader)
					    __exit_signal(old_leader)
					      sighand = lock(old_leader, sighand);
					      posix_cpu_timers*_exit();
   sighand = lock_task_sighand(p)…
CVSS 7.8 (version 3.1; evidence as of Nov 3, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64560).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-64560: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64560
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-11-03T18:06:04.789Z&lastModEndDate=2026-11-03T19:40:57.574Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-11-03T17:35:57.416Z&lastModEndDate=2026-11-03T19:05:57.748Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-11-03T17:01:00.112Z&lastModEndDate=2026-11-03T18:35:55.788Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
Record ID: CVE-2026-64560.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Nov 3, 2026, 19:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Awaiting Analysis. Publication in the NVD is not evidence of exploitation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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