CVE-2026-64371: proc: protect ptrace_may_access() with exec_update_lock (part 1)

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 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: 2026-07-25 · updated 2026-10-15

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: proc: protect ptrace_may_access() with exec_update_lock (part 1) Fix the easy cases where procfs currently calls ptrace_may_access() without exec_update_lock protection, where the fix is to simply add the extra lock or use mm_access(): - do_task_stat(): grab exec_update_lock - proc_pid_wchan(): grab exec_update_lock - proc_map_files_lookup(): use mm_access() instead of get_task_mm() - proc_map_files_readdir(): use mm_access() instead of get_task_mm() - proc_ns_get_link(): grab exec_update_lock - proc_ns_readlink(): grab exec_update_lock

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 2.6.27.23 before 2.6.28; from 2.6.29.3 before 2.6.30; from 2.6.30.1 before 5.10.261; from 5.11 before 5.15.212; from 5.16 before 6.1.178; from 6.2 before 6.6.145 — fixed in 2.6.28, 2.6.30, 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.12.97

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 2.6.28, 2.6.30, 5.10.261, 5.15.212. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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