CVE-2026-64163: test_kprobes: clear kprobes between test runs

Published Jul 19, 2026
·
Updated

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

testkprobes: clear kprobes between test runs

Running the kprobes sanity tests twice makes all tests fail and eventually crashes the kernel.

[root@martin-riscv-1 ~]# echo 1 > /sys/kernel/debug/kunit/kprobestest/run ... # Totals: pass:5 fail:0 skip:0 total:5 ok 1 kprobestest [root@martin-riscv-1 ~]# echo 1 > /sys/kernel/debug/kunit/kprobestest/run ... # testkprobe: EXPECTATION FAILED at lib/tests/testkprobes.c:64 Expected 0 == registerkprobe(&kp), but registerkprobe(&kp) == -22 (0xffffffffffffffea) ... Unable to handle kernel paging request ...

The testsuite defines several kprobes and kretprobes as static variables that are preserved across test runs.

After registerkprobe and unregisterkprobe, a kprobe contains some leftover data that must be cleared before the kprobe can be registered again. The tests are setting symbolname to define the probe location. Address and flags must be cleared.

The existing code clears some of the probes between subsequent tests, but not between two test runs. The leftover data from a previous test run makes the registrations fail in the next run.

Move the cleanups for all kprobes into kprobestestinit, this function is called before each single test (including the first test of a test run).

Affected Software

8 affected components
Linux Linux kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.6.142
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.12.92
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.18.34
Linux Linux kernel>=6.19<7.0.11
Linux Linux kernel=7.1-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=7.1-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=7.1-rc3

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Configuration

    To prevent failures/crash on repeated runs, ensure the kprobes_test harness clears leftover kprobe state between test runs (the cleanup for all kprobes should be moved so it runs for each test run, not only between individual tests).

    Linux kernel KUnit kprobes_test /sys/kernel/debug/kunit/kprobes_test/run = 1

Event History

Jul 19, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:40 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:40 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·04:17 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-64163?

CVE-2026-64163 has a risk score of 27, indicating a significant severity level.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-64163?

To fix CVE-2026-64163, ensure that kprobes are cleared between test runs in the Linux kernel.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-64163?

CVE-2026-64163 affects systems running a vulnerable version of the Linux kernel that supports kprobes.

4

What are the consequences of CVE-2026-64163?

CVE-2026-64163 can lead to test failures and kernel crashes when running kprobes sanity tests multiple times.

5

When was CVE-2026-64163 published?

CVE-2026-64163 was published on July 19, 2026.

Contact

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