In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm/vmalloc: prevent RCU stalls in kasan_release_vmalloc_node
When CONFIG_PAGE_OWNER is enabled, freeing KASAN shadow pages during vmalloc cleanup triggers expensive stack unwinding that acquires RCU read locks. Processing a large purge_list without rescheduling can cause the task to hold CPU for extended periods (10+ seconds), leading to RCU stalls and potential OOM conditions.
The issue manifests in purge_vmap_node() -> kasan_release_vmalloc_node() where iterating through hundreds or thousands of vmap_area entries and freeing their associated shadow pages causes:
rcu: INFO: rcu_preempt detected stalls on CPUs/tasks: rcu: Tasks blocked on level-0 rcu_node (CPUs 0-1): P6229/1:b..l ... task:kworker/0:17 state:R running task stack:28840 pid:6229 ... kasan_release_vmalloc_node+0x1ba/0xad0 mm/vmalloc.c:2299 purge_vmap_node+0x1ba/0xad0 mm/vmalloc.c:2299
Each call to kasan_release_vmalloc() can free many pages, and with page_owner tracking, each free triggers save_stack() which performs stack unwinding under RCU read lock. Without yielding, this creates an unbounded RCU critical section.
Add periodic cond_resched() calls within the loop to allow: - RCU grace periods to complete - Other tasks to run - Scheduler to preempt when needed
The fix uses need_resched() for immediate response under load, with a batch count of 32 as a guaranteed upper bound to prevent worst-case stalls even under light load.
CVSS Details
- CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 5.5
- CVSS 3.1 Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H)
Covered by Rapid7
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon_linux_2023 | — | Upgrade kernel6.18-debuginfo-common-aarch64Upgrade kernel6.18Upgrade kernel6.18-debuginfo-common-x86_64Upgrade kernel6.18-modules-extra-commonUpgrade kernel6.18-libbpfUpgrade bpftool6.18Upgrade kernel6.18-develUpgrade kernel6.18-tools-debuginfoUpgrade kernel6.18-modules-extraUpgrade python3-perf6.18Upgrade kernel-livepatch-6.18.16-18.222Upgrade python3-perf6.18-debuginfoUpgrade kernel6.18-toolsUpgrade kernel6.18-libbpf-staticUpgrade kernel6.18-debuginfoUpgrade kernel6.18-libbpf-develUpgrade kernel6.18-libbpf-debuginfoUpgrade perf6.18-debuginfoUpgrade kernel6.18-headersUpgrade bpftool6.18-debuginfoUpgrade perf6.18Upgrade kernel6.18-tools-devel | May 19, 2026 | May 8, 2026 |
| Debian | — | Upgrade linux | Jul 23, 2026 | Jul 23, 2026 |
| Redhat_linux | — | No solution exists | Jul 17, 2026 | May 8, 2026 |
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