Skip to main content

Linux Kernel CVE-2026-53352

| EUVDEUVD-2026-40986 MEDIUM
Race Condition (CWE-362)
2026-07-01 Linux GHSA-hcpv-6hqv-vmx5
4.7
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
Share

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY
4.7 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI
4.7 MEDIUM

Local access with low privileges required to launch processes; High complexity reflects the narrow race window; only availability impacted via kernel warning or panic.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE
MEDIUM
qualitative
Red Hat
5.5 LOW
qualitative

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

5
Analysis Generated
Jul 22, 2026 - 20:44 vuln.today
CVSS changed
Jul 22, 2026 - 19:22 NVD
4.7 (MEDIUM)
Patch available
Jul 01, 2026 - 15:16 EUVD
CVE Published
Jul 01, 2026 - 13:32 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Jul 01, 2026 - 13:32 nvd
MEDIUM 4.7

DescriptionNVD

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

signal: clear JOBCTL_PENDING_MASK for caller in zap_other_threads()

When a multi-threaded process receives a stop signal (e.g., SIGSTOP), do_signal_stop() sets JOBCTL_STOP_PENDING and JOBCTL_STOP_CONSUME on all threads and sets signal->group_stop_count to the number of threads. If one of the threads concurrently calls execve(), de_thread() invokes zap_other_threads() to kill all other threads. zap_other_threads() aborts the pending group stop by resetting signal->group_stop_count to 0 and clears the JOBCTL_PENDING_MASK for all other threads. However, it fails to clear the job control flags for the calling thread.

When execve() completes, the calling thread returns to user mode and checks for pending signals. Seeing the stale JOBCTL_STOP_PENDING flag, it calls do_signal_stop(), which invokes task_participate_group_stop(). Since JOBCTL_STOP_CONSUME is still set, it attempts to decrement the already-zero signal->group_stop_count, triggering a warning:

sig->group_stop_count == 0 WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 6475 at kernel/signal.c:373 task_participate_group_stop+0x215/0x2d0 Call Trace: <TASK> do_signal_stop+0x3be/0x5c0 kernel/signal.c:2619 get_signal+0xa8c/0x1330 kernel/signal.c:2884 arch_do_signal_or_restart+0xbc/0x840 arch/x86/kernel/signal.c:337 exit_to_user_mode_loop+0x8c/0x4d0 kernel/entry/common.c:98 do_syscall_64+0x33e/0xf80 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:100 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f </TASK>

Fix this race condition by clearing the JOBCTL_PENDING_MASK for the calling thread in zap_other_threads(), ensuring it does not retain any stale job control state after the thread group is destroyed. This aligns with other functions that tear down a thread group and abort group stops, such as zap_process() and complete_signal(), which correctly clear these flags for all threads including the current one.

AnalysisAI

Race condition in the Linux kernel signal subsystem allows a local low-privileged user to trigger a kernel warning and potential system instability by exploiting a timing window between SIGSTOP delivery and a concurrent execve() call in a multi-threaded process. The calling thread in zap_other_threads() retains stale JOBCTL_STOP_PENDING and JOBCTL_STOP_CONSUME flags after the thread group is torn down, causing task_participate_group_stop() to decrement an already-zero group_stop_count and fire a kernel WARN_ON. No public exploit has been identified and EPSS sits at 0.16% (6th percentile), consistent with a difficult-to-reliably-trigger race.

Technical ContextAI

The vulnerability resides in kernel/signal.c within the zap_other_threads() function, which is invoked by de_thread() during execve() to kill all threads in a multi-threaded process. The Linux job control subsystem uses JOBCTL_PENDING_MASK - a bitmask covering JOBCTL_STOP_PENDING and JOBCTL_STOP_CONSUME - to coordinate group stop participation across threads. When a SIGSTOP arrives, do_signal_stop() sets these flags on all threads and increments signal->group_stop_count. zap_other_threads() correctly clears these flags for all other threads but omits the calling thread, leaving stale flags that cause task_participate_group_stop() to under-decrement the counter. CWE-362 (Race Condition / Concurrent Execution Using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization) precisely classifies this flaw: two concurrent kernel paths - signal delivery and execve - share job control state without adequate synchronization for the caller's own flags. Affected CPE: cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* from commit 39efa3ef3a376a4e53de2f82fc91182459d34200 onward until the respective stable-branch fixes.

RemediationAI

Update the Linux kernel to one of the patched stable releases: 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176, 6.6.143, 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13, or 7.1, as appropriate for the deployed branch. Patch commits are available directly from the Linux stable tree at git.kernel.org (commit hashes listed in the references section) for operators who build kernels from source. For systems where an immediate kernel upgrade is not feasible, the most effective compensating control is to restrict local user access to prevent untrusted users from executing arbitrary multi-threaded binaries, since the vulnerability requires the ability to launch processes and send signals; this can be achieved via SELinux, AppArmor, or seccomp policies, though these controls reduce but do not eliminate exposure and carry usability trade-offs. The NVD advisory is available at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53352.

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 Affected

Share

CVE-2026-53352 vulnerability details – vuln.today

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy