UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74482: Use After Free
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/hugememory: unlock immaprwsem before releasing after-split folios foliosplit() keeps dereferencing the mapping after the split: shmemuncharge(mapping->host) and remappage() while the folios are still frozen/locked, and immapunlockread(mapping) at the very end, after the after-split folios have been unlocked and freed. Nothing holds an inode reference across that. The split relies on @folio -- which the beyond-EOF drop loop never removes, as it starts at folionext(folio) -- staying locked and in the page cache to hold off eviction. But the unlock loop unlocks @folio before immapunlockread() runs. If the caller's @lockat is a tail beyond EOF, as memoryfailure() passes when splitting a poisoned tail of a shmem THP that reaches past isize during truncation, it too is gone from the page cache; so once @folio is unlocked no locked, in-cache folio pins the inode, and a concurrent final iput() can evict and RCU-free it before immapunlockread() touches immaprwsem: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in upread+0x634/0x790 immapunlockread include/linux/fs.h:537 [inline] foliosplit+0x732/0x1640 mm/hugememory.c:4100 trytosplitthppage+0xab/0x390 mm/memory-failure.c:1675 memoryfailure+0x1394/0x26e0 mm/memory-failure.c:2470 Freed by task 4601: shmemfreeincoreinode+0x54/0xb0 mm/shmem.c:5177 evict+0x57f/0xac0 fs/inode.c:870 Do every mapping dereference while @folio still pins the inode: drop immaprwsem right after remappage(), before the loop that unlocks and frees the after-split folios, and clear @mapping so the exit path does not unlock it again. shmemuncharge() and remappage() already run before that point, so after this nothing past the unlock loop touches the inode or the mapping. This is now a rule the split depends on, alongside keeping @folio frozen until the page cache is updated: no inode or mapping dereference once the after-split folios start being unlocked.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
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ubuntu/linux-aws-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azure-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1123.132~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azure-fde-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1122.131~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gcp-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1118.128~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-hwe-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-198.208~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-ibm-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1111.115~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-intel-iotg-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1112.118~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-195.205~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oracle-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1114.120~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscv-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1111.115~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linuxto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-198.208 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-awsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azureto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1123.132 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azure-fdeto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1122.131 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gcpto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1118.128 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gketo a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1113.119 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gkeopto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1100.108 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-ibmto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1111.115 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-intel-iotgto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1112.118 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-kvmto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1109.114 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-lowlatencyto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-195.205 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-nvidiato a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1112.113 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oracleto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1114.120 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-xilinx-zynqmpto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1080.84 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-bluefieldto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1101.103 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-intel-iot-realtimeto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1109.111 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-realtimeto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1116.125 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-aws-fipsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124+fips1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-azure-fipsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1123.132+fips1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-fipsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-198.208+fips1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gcp-fipsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1118.128+fips1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-nvidia-tegrato a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.8.0-1036.39 - Compensating control
In __folio_split(), perform all mapping dereferences while @folio still pins the inode: call i_mmap_unlock_read(mapping) immediately after remap_page(), before the loop that unlocks and frees after-split folios, then clear @mapping so the exit path does not unlock it again.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Ubuntu kernel package families are listed as affected?
The listed packages are ubuntu/linux, ubuntu/linux-azure, ubuntu/linux-azure-fips, ubuntu/linux-aws-fips, ubuntu/linux-fips, ubuntu/linux-gcp, ubuntu/linux-gcp-fips, and ubuntu/linux-oracle.
What level of access does exploitation require?
The severity vector identifies this as locally exploitable with low privileges required and no user interaction. The vector rates confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact as high.
What runtime condition is associated with the use-after-free?
The described condition involves splitting a poisoned tail of a shmem transparent huge page that extends beyond i_size during truncation, where memory_failure() supplies a tail beyond EOF. A concurrent final inode reference release can then evict and RCU-free the inode before i_mmap_rwsem is accessed.