CVE-2026-68177: tracing: Delay module ref count for "enable_event" trigger

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-08-10 · updated 2026-08-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Delay module ref count for "enable_event" trigger Triggers are now delayed from freeing, but can still be triggered until after the RCU grace period has ended. The freeing of the enable_event data is put into the private_data_free() callback, but the put of the module refcount is done immediately. It is possible that if a module is removed that has an event that would enable (or disable) it is still active, it can read the data of the module after it is removed causing a use-after-free bug. Move the trace_event_put_ref() that releases the module into the delayed callback so that the module can not be removed until any reference to its events are finished.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 6.19 — fixed in 7.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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