CVE-2026-98226: mm, swap: fix SWAP_USAGE_OFFLIST_BIT collision with real usage count
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm, swap: fix SWAPUSAGEOFFLISTBIT collision with real usage count
SWAPUSAGEOFFLISTBIT is embedded in the si->inusepages usage counter, and is meant to sit above any value that counter can reach. However, it is defined from BITSPERTYPE(atomict), so it is bit 30. On a system with 4 KiB pages the flag collides with the usage count once that count reaches 4 TiB.
swapusageinpages() masks bit 30 out, so whenever the real count has that bit set, every caller of it reads 4 TiB low:
/proc/swaps understates Used by 4 TiB.
A raw count of exactly 2^30 masks to zero, so trytounuse() takes its "if (!swapusageinpages(si)) goto success;" early exit and swapoff tears the device down while pages are still swapped out. Nothing in the rest of swapoff aborts the teardown, so those pages are lost.
Independently of swapoff, the collision also corrupts the counter and the plist. On a device in normal use, a free that leaves bit 30 set in the count makes swapusagesub() see the flag where there is only count, and call addtoavaillist(). It clears the bit with fetchand(~SWAPUSAGEOFFLISTBIT), leaving the stored count 4 TiB below the real one, and calls plistadd() on a device that is already listed, tripping the WARNON(!plistnodeempty(node)) in plistadd() and linking the node a second time.
Change the definition of SWAPUSAGEOFFLISTBIT to be based on atomiclongt instead. Note that the usage counter field itself is of this same type, so it is still a valid bit.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-hwe-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscv-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42.1~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linuxto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-awsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gcpto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.18 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-ibmto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oem-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oracleto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1015.16 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscvto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42.1 - Configuration
Change the definition of SWAP_USAGE_OFFLIST_BIT to be based on atomic_long_t instead of BITS_PER_TYPE(atomic_t).
Linux kernel mm/swap SWAP_USAGE_OFFLIST_BIT = based on atomic_long_t
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which systems are exposed to the count collision?
Systems using 4 KiB pages are affected when a swap device's real usage count reaches 4 TiB. At that point, bit 30 in the usage count collides with the embedded offline flag.
How can operators detect that the reported swap usage is wrong?
On affected systems, /proc/swaps can understate the Used value by 4 TiB. A raw usage count of exactly 2^30 pages is masked to zero by swap_usage_in_pages().
What is the consequence of running swapoff at the affected usage threshold?
try_to_unuse() can treat the swap device as unused and take its success path even while pages remain swapped out. Swapoff then tears the device down, causing those swapped-out pages to be lost.
Can the issue cause problems even if swapoff is never run?
Yes. A free operation can mistake a real usage-count bit for the offline flag, add the device to the available list, and clear that bit, corrupting both the stored counter and the plist.