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Response snapshot Oct 31, 2026, 14:16 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-99173

Linux kernel: eventfs: Free the eventfs_inode after an rcu grace period too

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eventfs: Free the eventfs_inode after an rcu grace period too tracefs_d_revalidate() reads ->is_freed of the eventfs_inode that dentry->d_fsdata points to, and ->d_revalidate() is called in rcu pathwalk mode with nothing but rcu_read_lock() held.

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-2026-99173 (opens a new tab)

What happened

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

eventfs: Free the eventfs_inode after an rcu grace period too

tracefs_d_revalidate() reads ->is_freed of the eventfs_inode that dentry->d_fsdata points to, and ->d_revalidate() is called in rcu pathwalk mode with nothing but rcu_read_lock() held. The dentry itself stays around for such a walker, but tracefs_d_release() drops its reference to the eventfs_inode when the dentry is killed, and release_ei() then frees it after a grace period of eventfs_srcu.

An SRCU grace period doesn't wait for rcu_read_lock() sections, so the walker can read an eventfs_inode that is already gone.

Continue reading

With a pathwalk held up in tracefs_d_revalidate() while the dentry goes away:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in tracefs_d_revalidate+0x76/0x90 Read of size 1 at addr ff1100010152d8d0 by task walker/97 Call Trace: <TASK> tracefs_d_revalidate+0x76/0x90 lookup_fast+0x320/0x640 path_lookupat+0x160/0xb00 filename_lookup+0x1f1/0x5b0 vfs_statx+0xd7/0x3b0 vfs_fstatat+0x4d/0x90 __do_sys_newfstatat+0xa0/0x100 do_syscall_64+0x10e/0x5e0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f [...]

Allocated by task 1: __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x249/0x560 eventfs_create_dir+0x7a/0x590 event_create_dir+0x2fb/0xcf0 trace_add_event_call+0xbf/0x150 [...] Freed by task 11: kfree+0x1db/0x5b0 srcu_invoke_callbacks+0x3a3/0x620 process_one_work+0x937/0x1810 worker_thread+0x4f1/0xd60

Before commit 8e556432477e ("eventfs: Use SRCU for freeing eventfs_inodes") release_ei() used call_rcu(), which covered the walker, while eventfs_iterate() needs the SRCU grace period. Wait for both and chain call_rcu() from the SRCU callback.

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

Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-99173 (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

Cite this record

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

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 31). Linux kernel: eventfs: Free the eventfs_inode after an rcu grace period too (CVE-2026-99173). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-99173

MLA

"Linux kernel: eventfs: Free the eventfs_inode after an rcu grace period too (CVE-2026-99173)." KEVWire, 31 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-99173.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: eventfs: Free the eventfs_inode after an rcu grace period too (CVE-2026-99173)." Last modified October 31, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-99173.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: eventfs: Free the eventfs_inode after an rcu grace period too (Oct 28, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

eventfs: Free the eventfs_inode after an rcu grace period too

tracefs_d_revalidate() reads ->is_freed of the eventfs_inode that
dentry->d_fsdata points to, and ->d_revalidate() is called in rcu
pathwalk mode with nothing but rcu_read_lock() held. The dentry itself
stays around for such a walker, but tracefs_d_release() drops its
reference to the eventfs_inode when the dentry is killed, and
release_ei() then frees it after a grace period of eventfs_srcu.
CVSS 7.8 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 31, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99173).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-99173: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99173
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-10-31T12:40:58.114Z&lastModEndDate=2026-10-31T14:15:57.636Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-10-31T10:50:56.512Z&lastModEndDate=2026-10-31T13:40:56.165Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
Record ID: CVE-2026-99173.
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: Oct 31, 2026, 14:15 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Received. 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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Record details

Record detail