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Linux Kernel EUVDEUVD-2026-28739

| CVE-2026-43433 HIGH
2026-05-08 Linux GHSA-9ccw-3qr7-6wpp
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain local authenticated access
  2. Delivery
    Exploit separate VMA protection bypass
  3. Exploit
    Initiate Binder transaction to privileged process
  4. Execution
    Win TOCTOU race to modify offsets in VMA
  5. Persist
    Trigger kernel misinterpretation of transaction data
  6. Impact
    Execute code in privileged process context

Vulnerability Assessment

Exploitation Conditions

Requires local authenticated access with low privileges (PR:L) to a Linux system running kernel versions 6.18.0 through 6.18.18, 6.19.0 through 6.19.8, or 7.0-rc with rust_binder functionality enabled (CONFIG_RUST_BINDER). Critically, exploitation requires chaining with a separate vulnerability that allows the attacker to write to their own process's Binder transaction VMA despite it being mapped read-only - the vendor explicitly states this TOCTOU race is 'unexploitable without another Binder bug.' The attacker must also craft a transaction payload with specific structure to trigger exploitable behavior in the receiving process. Exploitation is limited to systems where rust_binder IPC is actively used between processes with different privilege levels, and the attacker must win a race condition between kernel operations. This combination of prerequisites significantly constrains real-world exploitability, explaining the low EPSS score despite straightforward CVSS metrics (AC:L).

Impact

Real-world risk is moderate despite high CVSS 7.8 score. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N) indicates local access with low attack complexity and low privileges required, suggesting straightforward exploitation once prerequisites are met. However, the EPSS score of 0.02% (4th percentile) indicates very low probability of active exploitation in the wild. This disconnect stems from the critical prerequisite: attackers must first compromise the VMA read-only protection through a separate vulnerability before exploiting this TOCTOU race. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, confirming no observed active exploitation. No public POC is identified in available data. The primary risk scenario involves sophisticated attackers who have already achieved initial compromise and are chaining vulnerabilities for privilege escalation. The vendor describes this as 'unexploitable without another Binder bug,' positioning it as a hardening measure rather than an immediate critical threat. Priority should be moderate: patch during normal maintenance windows for systems using rust_binder (kernel 6.18+), but this is not an emergency requiring immediate out-of-band patching unless your threat model includes advanced persistent threats with kernel exploit chains.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with local authenticated access and low privileges on a Linux system running kernel 6.18-7.0 with rust_binder enabled first exploits a separate memory corruption vulnerability to gain write access to their process's supposedly read-only Binder transaction VMA. They then initiate a Binder transaction to a higher-privileged process while simultaneously modifying offset values in the shared VMA during the TOCTOU window between kernel write and read operations. By precisely timing the race and crafting a specific transaction payload structure, the attacker causes the kernel to misinterpret the transaction data, leading to memory corruption or arbitrary code execution in the context of the higher-privileged receiving process, achieving privilege escalation.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – May 11, 2026

Time-of-check-to-time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in Linux kernel's rust_binder implementation allows local authenticated attackers with low privileges to escalate privileges. The flaw exists in transaction offset array handling where values copied to a target process's read-only VMA are read back without protection against concurrent modification. If an attacker can write to their own supposedly read-only VMA through a separate vulnerability, they can modify offsets between write and read operations, causing the kernel to misinterpret transaction data and potentially enabling privilege escalation into the sending process. Patch available in kernel versions 6.18.19, 6.19.9, and 7.0. EPSS score of 0.02% suggests limited real-world exploitation likelihood despite CVSS 7.8 severity.

RemediationAI

Upgrade to patched Linux kernel versions 6.18.19, 6.19.9, or 7.0 or later, which contain fixes for the rust_binder TOCTOU vulnerability. Patches are available from the Linux kernel stable tree: commit e19afb53f7723b3bd22224f2b0c7dcfa70bb973f for 6.18.x series, commit 3672141c93b7a0c0132bf5d5021a4b7f1d663aaa for 6.19.x series, and commit 4cb9e13fec0de7c942f5f927469beb8e48ddd20f for mainline 7.0. Full advisory details at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43433. For systems that cannot immediately upgrade, consider disabling rust_binder functionality if not required (check if CONFIG_RUST_BINDER is enabled in kernel config) - note this will break Android container compatibility and any applications depending on Binder IPC. Alternatively, implement mandatory access control policies (SELinux, AppArmor) to restrict which processes can use Binder IPC, reducing the attack surface to trusted processes only, though this provides only partial mitigation as the TOCTOU race still exists. No workaround fully addresses the root cause; kernel upgrade is the definitive remediation.

Affected VersionsENISA

Linux 6.18
Linux patch: 6.19.9
Linux patch: 7.0
Linux eafedbc7c050c44744fbdf80bdf3315e860b7513 <4cb9e13fec0de7c942f5f927469beb8e48ddd20f
Linux patch: 0
Linux eafedbc7c050c44744fbdf80bdf3315e860b7513 <3672141c93b7a0c0132bf5d5021a4b7f1d663aaa
Linux eafedbc7c050c44744fbdf80bdf3315e860b7513 <e19afb53f7723b3bd22224f2b0c7dcfa70bb973f
Linux patch: 6.18.19

Affected Packages

euvd linux no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The vulnerability resides in the rust_binder module, a Rust implementation of Android's Binder IPC mechanism integrated into the Linux kernel. Binder transactions involve copying an offsets array into a target process's virtual memory area (VMA), which is mapped read-only to prevent tampering. The code then reads these offsets back from the VMA to interpret transaction structure. The TOCTOU race window exists between the write to VMA and the subsequent read. The affected CPE strings (cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) indicate this impacts the Linux kernel project broadly. The vulnerability requires the presence of rust_binder functionality, which was introduced in kernel 6.18 based on EUVD version data. Exploitation requires chaining with another vulnerability that breaks the VMA read-only protection, making this a defense-in-depth issue rather than a directly exploitable flaw in isolation.

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SUSE HIGH

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
May 11, 2026 - 08:22 NVD
7.8 (HIGH)
Patch available
May 08, 2026 - 16:18 EUVD
CVE Published
May 08, 2026 - 14:22 nvd
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
May 08, 2026 - 14:22 nvd
HIGH 7.8

DescriptionCVE.org

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

rust_binder: avoid reading the written value in offsets array

When sending a transaction, its offsets array is first copied into the target proc's vma, and then the values are read back from there. This is normally fine because the vma is a read-only mapping, so the target process cannot change the value under us.

However, if the target process somehow gains the ability to write to its own vma, it could change the offset before it's read back, causing the kernel to misinterpret what the sender meant. If the sender happens to send a payload with a specific shape, this could in the worst case lead to the receiver being able to privilege escalate into the sender.

The intent is that gaining the ability to change the read-only vma of your own process should not be exploitable, so remove this TOCTOU read even though it's unexploitable without another Binder bug.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-43433 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Linux kernel's rust_binder component affecting authenticated local users with low privileges. An attacker could exploit a race condition in transaction handling to escalate privileges, potentially gaining unauthorized access to higher-privilege processes on affected systems. Organizations running vulnerable kernel versions should prioritize patching to prevent lateral privilege movement by compromised low-privilege accounts.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. If immediate patching is not feasible: restrict local user account creation and login privileges; implement kernel module isolation and AppArmor/SELinux rules to limit low-privilege process capabilities; monitor for unexpected privilege escalation attempts in system logs; disable rust_binder if not required for application functionality.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 96% exploitable
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
Medium

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: High
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 Fixed

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