UBUNTU-CVE-2026-68174: Low severity ubuntu/linux-hwe-edge vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Fix union collision of module and refcnt for dynamic events In 'struct traceeventcall', the 'module' pointer and the 'refcnt' atomic variable share the same memory space in a union. For dynamic events, the union member is 'refcnt', which acts as an active reference counter. When a dynamic event (such as kprobe, uprobe, fprobe, eprobe, or wprobe) has a non-zero reference count (e.g. due to active event triggers or perf attachments), its 'call->module' evaluates to a small non-zero integer instead of NULL. When filtering or setting events for a specific module (e.g., writing ':mod:<module>' to 'setevent'), the code in 'ftracesetclreventnolock()' and 'updateeventfields()' reads 'call->module' directly without checking whether the event is dynamic. This causes the kernel to treat the small integer (refcnt) as a 'struct module' pointer, leading to a NULL/invalid pointer dereference (Oops) when dereferencing the module name. Fix this by ensuring that the 'TRACEEVENTFLDYNAMIC' flag is checked before treating 'call->module' as a valid pointer in these code paths.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-aws-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azure-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azure-fde-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.16~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gcp-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-hwe-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-38.38~24.04.4 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-nvidia-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1024.25~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oracle-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1013.13~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscv-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-38.38.1~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linuxto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-38.38 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-awsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azureto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azure-fdeto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.16 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gcpto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gketo a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1008.9 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-ibmto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1015.15 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-nvidia-bosto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-2022.23 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oem-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1015.15 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oracleto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1013.13 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-realtimeto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-38.38.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscvto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-38.38.1 - Configuration
Ensure the TRACE_EVENT_FL_DYNAMIC flag is checked before treating call->module as a valid struct module pointer in __ftrace_set_clr_event_nolock() and update_event_fields(); for dynamic events, use the union member refcnt as the active reference counter.
Linux kernel tracing TRACE_EVENT_FL_DYNAMIC handling = check before dereferencing call->module
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions are required to trigger the kernel crash?
A dynamic tracing event, such as a kprobe, uprobe, fprobe, eprobe, or wprobe, must have a non-zero reference count from active event triggers or perf attachments. An operation that filters or sets events for a specific module, such as writing ':mod:<module>' to set_event, must then process that event.
What is the practical impact of successful exploitation?
The affected kernel paths can dereference an invalid pointer while reading a module name, causing a kernel Oops. The provided information describes a denial-of-service condition rather than privilege escalation or data disclosure.
Which Ubuntu kernel packages are identified as affected?
The listed packages are ubuntu/linux-riscv, ubuntu/linux-realtime, ubuntu/linux-hwe-edge, ubuntu/linux-azure, ubuntu/linux-gcp, ubuntu/linux-azure-fde, ubuntu/linux-gke, and ubuntu/linux-aws-5.0.
How can administrators reduce exposure before applying an update?
Avoid module-specific set_event operations against dynamic tracing events that have active triggers or perf attachments. In particular, avoid writing ':mod:<module>' to set_event under those conditions.