Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain local shell on Ubuntu 6.8/6.17/7.0
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DeliveryInvoke syscall routing through AppArmor SAUCE code path
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Exploitkfree() called on non-kmalloc'd pointer
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ExecutionSlab allocator metadata corrupted, legitimate allocation leaked
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PersistRepeat to progressively exhaust kernel memory
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ImpactSystem denial of service or kernel panic
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Free memory management
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a local interactive session with standard unprivileged user privileges (PR:L per CVSS vector) - no elevated permissions, sudo access, or special group membership is needed. The target system must be running Ubuntu Linux kernel version 6.8, 6.17, or 7.0 with the AppArmor SAUCE patches applied, which are present by default on Ubuntu but absent from upstream kernels and all other distributions. AppArmor must be active and loaded, which is its default state on Ubuntu. Remote exploitation is not possible (AV:L); an attacker must have authenticated local shell access, whether physical, SSH-based, or via a prior compromise. Container workloads sharing an affected Ubuntu host kernel are also at risk if container users can trigger the code path. Non-default conditions that would prevent exploitation include: running an upstream kernel without SAUCE patches, operating on a non-Ubuntu distribution, or having AppArmor explicitly disabled. |
| Impact | CVSS 6.1 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H) accurately reflects a locally exploitable, low-complexity privilege escalation of impact - not of access level. The High availability impact is the dominant risk signal, representing potential kernel crash or progressive resource exhaustion. The local attack vector (AV:L) is the primary mitigating factor: remote attackers cannot directly trigger this without first obtaining a local shell. PR:L means any standard unprivileged user account suffices - no sudo or special group membership is required. No EPSS score was provided in the input data, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified. The absence of a CISA KEV listing and the absence of any identified public POC suggest low current threat activity. The real-world priority is elevated on multi-tenant Ubuntu systems - shared cloud instances, VMs with multiple local users, or environments where untrusted users have shell access - and is lower on single-user workstations. The I:L integrity signal likely reflects indirect slab metadata writes rather than a controlled write primitive. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A standard unprivileged user on a multi-tenant Ubuntu 7.0 server (e.g., a shared development host) opens a shell and invokes system operations that route through the vulnerable AppArmor SAUCE code path - no special tools or root access required given AC:L/PR:L. Each trigger corrupts slab allocator metadata and leaks kernel memory; repeated invocations progressively exhaust kernel resources and ultimately crash the machine or render it unresponsive, denying service to all users. No public proof-of-concept was identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity indicates exploitation would be straightforward once the triggering syscall sequence is identified. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – May 28, 2026
Ubuntu Linux kernels 6.8, 6.17, and 7.0 ship Ubuntu-specific AppArmor SAUCE patches that incorrectly call kfree() on a pointer never allocated via kmalloc(), while simultaneously leaking the legitimately allocated memory. Any unprivileged local user can trigger this kernel memory management flaw, corrupting slab allocator metadata and driving the system toward resource exhaustion or instability. No public exploit code exists and no CISA KEV listing is present at time of analysis; however, CVSS rates availability impact as High given the potential for kernel-level denial of service.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor-released kernel patch from Canonical by running apt-get update followed by apt-get upgrade on affected Ubuntu systems, then rebooting into the updated kernel. The upstream fix is available at the Ubuntu noble kernel Launchpad repository (commit 7f3c4902c39432ce7ea0d384cb70eba282247fac: https://git.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-kernel/ubuntu/+source/linux/+git/noble/commit/?id=7f3c4902c39432ce7ea0d384cb70eba282247fac). The exact patched ubuntu package version has not been confirmed in the available data - monitor Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) at ubuntu.com/security/notices for the official advisory and patched package identifiers. As a compensating control on systems where immediate patching is not feasible, restrict shell access to trusted users only, since the attack requires a local session (PR:L); this reduces exposure but does not eliminate the vulnerability. Disabling AppArmor as a workaround is strongly discouraged, as it removes a mandatory access control layer and introduces a broader security regression.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw resides in Ubuntu's SAUCE (Software Applied by Ubuntu Canonical Engineers) patches layered atop the AppArmor Linux Security Module. CWE-590 (Free of Memory Not on the Heap) precisely describes the root cause: kfree() is invoked on a pointer that was never returned by the kernel's slab allocator (kmalloc()), violating a fundamental invariant of SLUB/SLAB memory management. Freeing such a pointer causes the slab allocator to write bookkeeping data into arbitrary memory, corrupting metadata structures used by every subsequent kernel allocation. The concurrent memory leak - where the original kmalloc'd buffer is abandoned without being freed - compounds degradation over time by progressively consuming non-reclaimable kernel memory. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* at kernel versions 6.8, 6.17, and 7.0. This bug is entirely Ubuntu-specific: upstream Linux kernels and non-Ubuntu distributions do not carry these SAUCE patches and are unaffected.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (canonical) · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorVendor: canonical
DescriptionCVE.org
Ubuntu Linux 6.8, 6.17 and 7.0 contain AppArmor SAUCE patches which incorrectly attempt to free a pointer which was not previously kmalloc()d, while at the same time leaking allocated memory. The bug can be triggered by an unprivileged local user and can result in the corruption of slab metadata and could lead to resource exhaustion.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
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