All vulnerabilities
CVE-2026-98813

Linux: bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.15%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 4% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in6.13Also 6.19CVE List
Published18 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

bpf: Hold map BTF for the memory allocator destructor record

bpf_ma_set_dtor() duplicates map->record so that the bpf_mem_alloc destructor can release the special fields of hash and rhash map elements once the allocator frees them for good. btf_record_dup() only acquires references on kernel and module BTF. Fields whose types live in the map BTF keep pointing into it: a kptr to a local type refers to map->btf, and a list_head or rb_root field carries a value_rec owned by the struct meta table of map->btf.

That borrowed state can outlive the map. When RCU callbacks are still in flight, bpf_mem_alloc_destroy() copies the allocator and defers the final drain, together with the destructor context, to a workqueue. bpf_map_free() then frees map->record and drops the map's BTF reference as soon as map_free() returns. Once the program that loaded the BTF is gone as well, the BTF is freed while the worker still uses the duplicate. The worker dereferences it through btf_is_kernel() and btf_find_struct_meta() in bpf_obj_free_fields() when destroying elements that were freed under RCU, and through btf_is_kernel() in btf_record_free() when releasing the context itself:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in btf_is_kernel+0x19/0x30 Read of size 1 at addr ffff88811505dce8 by task kworker/u16:2/50 Workqueue: events_unbound free_mem_alloc_deferred Call Trace: btf_is_kernel+0x19/0x30 btf_record_free+0xc7/0xf0 htab_dtor_ctx_free+0x1a/0x30 free_mem_alloc_no_barrier+0x39/0x230 free_mem_alloc_deferred+0x2a/0x40 process_scheduled_works+0x5ce/0x9d0 worker_thread+0x42a/0x5e0 kthread+0x1f5/0x230 ret_from_fork+0x1dd/0x390 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30

Allocated by task 358: __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x287/0x510 btf_new_fd+0xf7/0x3d0 __sys_bpf+0x487/0x840

Freed by task 0: kfree+0x186/0x560 rcu_core+0x6f6/0xd40

Freeing a map that still holds more elements than the allocator's high watermark is enough to get there, because the bulk free during teardown queues the RCU callback that makes bpf_mem_alloc_destroy() defer. Non-preallocated hash maps and resizable hash maps both register the destructor and are affected alike.

Keep one reference on the map BTF in the destructor context. Every non-kernel pointer in the duplicated record is either map->btf or memory owned by it, so a single reference covers kptrs, list heads, and rb roots, and mirrors what bpf_map_meta_alloc() does for the duplicated record of an inner map. Release it only after the duplicated record has been freed: the worker is preemptible and not in an RCU read-side critical section, so dropping the last reference first would let the BTF be freed while btf_record_free() still reads its fields.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 10

  • Linuxaffected: 1df97a7453eec80c1912c2d0360290a3970a7671 before b506f5699e145196ee29d76cf1ca1cbb2202c055CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 1df97a7453eec80c1912c2d0360290a3970a7671 before ab39974240a0cff765f3bb9cce81d8001ffdb144CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 451a84a3ad3c897c03181af433e7c98640730f1fCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 51a17f0ce19c4ee2a25cf16c93490d509b1ebb0aCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6.12.112 before 6.13CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6.18.55 before 6.19CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 7.0CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 7.0CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.10 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 2