CVE-2026-43438: sched_ext: Remove redundant css_put() in scx_cgroup_init()

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-05-08 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-416

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched_ext: Remove redundant css_put() in scx_cgroup_init() The iterator css_for_each_descendant_pre() walks the cgroup hierarchy under cgroup_lock(). It does not increment the reference counts on yielded css structs. According to the cgroup documentation, css_put() should only be used to release a reference obtained via css_get() or css_tryget_online(). Since the iterator does not use either of these to acquire a reference, calling css_put() in the error path of scx_cgroup_init() causes a refcount underflow. Remove the unbalanced css_put() to prevent a potential Use-After-Free (UAF) vulnerability.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 6.12 before 6.12.78; from 6.13 before 6.18.19; from 6.19 before 6.19.9; 7.0-rc1, 7.0-rc2 — fixed in 6.12.78, 6.18.19, 6.19.9

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.12.78, 6.18.19, 6.19.9. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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