In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
perf/core: Fix refcount bug and potential UAF in perf_mmap
Syzkaller reported a refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free warning in perf_mmap.
The issue is caused by a race condition between a failing mmap() setup and a concurrent mmap() on a dependent event (e.g., using output redirection).
In perf_mmap(), the ring_buffer (rb) is allocated and assigned to event->rb with the mmap_mutex held. The mutex is then released to perform map_range().
If map_range() fails, perf_mmap_close() is called to clean up. However, since the mutex was dropped, another thread attaching to this event (via inherited events or output redirection) can acquire the mutex, observe the valid event->rb pointer, and attempt to increment its reference count. If the cleanup path has already dropped the reference count to zero, this results in a use-after-free or refcount saturation warning.
Fix this by extending the scope of mmap_mutex to cover the map_range() call. This ensures that the ring buffer initialization and mapping (or cleanup on failure) happens atomically effectively, preventing other threads from accessing a half-initialized or dying ring buffer.
CVSS Details
- CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 7.8
- CVSS 3.1 Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
Covered by Rapid7
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon_linux_2023 | — | Upgrade kernel6.18-debuginfo-common-aarch64Upgrade kernel6.18-headersUpgrade kernel6.18-libbpfUpgrade kernel6.18-toolsUpgrade kernel-livepatch-6.18.20-20.229Upgrade kernel6.18Upgrade kernel6.18-modules-extra-commonUpgrade kernel6.18-modules-extraUpgrade kernel6.18-libbpf-develUpgrade python3-perf6.18-debuginfoUpgrade perf6.18-debuginfoUpgrade kernel6.18-develUpgrade kernel6.18-debuginfoUpgrade kernel6.18-libbpf-staticUpgrade kernel6.18-libbpf-debuginfoUpgrade perf6.18Upgrade kernel6.18-tools-develUpgrade kernel6.18-tools-debuginfoUpgrade bpftool6.18Upgrade kernel6.18-debuginfo-common-x86_64Upgrade bpftool6.18-debuginfoUpgrade python3-perf6.18 | May 4, 2026 | Mar 18, 2026 |
| Redhat_linux | — | No solution exists | Jul 17, 2026 | Mar 18, 2026 |
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