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CVE Record

CVE-2024-26759: mm/swap: fix race when skipping swapcache

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/swap: fix race when skipping swapcache When skipping swapcache for SWP_SYNCHRONOUS_IO, if two or more threads swapin the same entry at the same time, they get different pages (A, B). Before one thread (T0) finishes the swapin and installs page (A) to the PTE, another thread (T1) could finish swapin of page (B), swap_free the entry, then swap out the possibly modified page reusing the same entry. It breaks the pte_same check in (T0) because PTE value is unchanged, causing ABA problem. Thread (T0) will install a stalled page (A) into the PTE and cause data corruption. One possible callstack is like this: CPU0 CPU1 ---- ---- do_swap_page() do_swap_page() with same entry <direct swapin path> <direct swapin path> <alloc page A> <alloc page B> swap_read_folio() <- read to page A swap_read_folio() <- read to page B <slow on later locks or interrupt> <finished swapin first> ... set_pte_at() swap_free() <- entry is free <write to page B, now page A stalled> <swap out page B to same swap entry> pte_same() <- Check pass, PTE seems unchanged, but page A is stalled! swap_free() <- page B content lost! set_pte_at() <- staled page A installed! And besides, for ZRAM, swap_free() allows the swap device to discard the entry content, so even if page (B) is not modified, if swap_read_folio() on CPU0 happens later than swap_free() on CPU1, it may also cause data loss. To fix this, reuse swapcache_prepare which will pin the swap entry using the cache flag, and allow only one thread to swap it in, also prevent any parallel code from putting the entry in the cache. Release the pin after PT unlocked. Racers just loop and wait since it's a rare and very short event. A schedule_timeout_uninterruptible(1) call is added to avoid repeated page faults wasting too much CPU, causing livelock or adding too much noise to perf statistics. A similar livelock issue was described in commit 029c4628b2eb ("mm: swap: get rid of livelock in swapin readahead") Reproducer: This race issue can be triggered easily using a well constructed reproducer and patched brd (with a delay in read path) [1]: With latest 6.8 mainline, race caused data loss can be observed easily: $ gcc -g -lpthread test-thread-swap-race.c && ./a.out Polulating 32MB of memory region... Keep swapping out... Starting round 0... Spawning 65536 workers... 32746 workers spawned, wait for done... Round 0: Error on 0x5aa00, expected 32746, got 32743, 3 data loss! Round 0: Error on 0x395200, expected 32746, got 32743, 3 data loss! Round 0: Error on 0x3fd000, expected 32746, got 32737, 9 data loss! Round 0 Failed, 15 data loss! This reproducer spawns multiple threads sharing the same memory region using a small swap device. Every two threads updates mapped pages one by one in opposite direction trying to create a race, with one dedicated thread keep swapping out the data out using madvise. The reproducer created a reproduce rate of about once every 5 minutes, so the race should be totally possible in production. After this patch, I ran the reproducer for over a few hundred rounds and no data loss observed. Performance overhead is minimal, microbenchmark swapin 10G from 32G zram: Before: 10934698 us After: 11157121 us Cached: 13155355 us (Dropping SWP_SYNCHRONOUS_IO flag) [kasong@tencent.com: v4]

HighCVSS 7.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

A Linux swap race can install an outdated memory page when multiple threads load the same swap entry. This can corrupt or lose data. Triggering is local and requires low privileges according to the supplied CVSS assessment. Systems using synchronous swap I/O, particularly ZRAM under concurrent workloads, warrant prompt patch review.

Executive priority

Treat this as a high-priority reliability and security update for exposed Linux systems, particularly shared or workload-dense hosts using ZRAM. Expedite normal patching and validation. It is not supported as an internet-wide emergency because access is local and the supplied sources show no active exploitation or KEV listing.

Technical view

Concurrent do_swap_page paths can allocate different pages for one swap entry. One path may free and reuse the entry while another passes pte_same because of an ABA condition, then installs stale data. ZRAM may also discard the freed entry. The fix serializes swap-in using swapcache_prepare and pins the entry until the page-table lock is released.

Likely exposure

The bundle identifies Linux versions including 4.15, 6.1.80, 6.6.19, 6.7.7, and 6.8 as affected. Its version data also contains an unexplained "0" and duplicate identifiers, so exact ranges are unclear. Exposure is most plausible where local users or workloads can create concurrent swap activity on SWP_SYNCHRONOUS_IO devices, including ZRAM.

Exploitation context

The bundle reports no KEV listing and provides no evidence of active malicious exploitation. Maintainers reproduced data loss approximately once every five minutes under deliberately constructed concurrent swap conditions. This demonstrates practical reproducibility, but not exploitation in the wild. The supplied CVSS vector describes local access, low privileges, no user interaction, and high potential impact.

Researcher notes

The core failure is an ABA race around pte_same after a swap entry is freed and reused. Impact includes stale-page installation and data loss; ZRAM introduces an additional discard-related loss case. The source reports no observed loss after hundreds of patched test rounds and characterizes performance overhead as minimal. Exact vulnerable release boundaries require vendor confirmation.

Mitigation direction

  • Update through the Linux distributor to a kernel incorporating the applicable cited stable fix.
  • Confirm vendor guidance because the supplied affected-version data does not define a reliable complete range.
  • Prioritize systems using ZRAM or other synchronous-I/O swap paths under concurrent workloads.
  • If patching is delayed, request vendor-supported mitigations; none are specified in the bundle.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory running kernel versions and identify systems using swap, especially ZRAM.
  • Confirm each installed kernel contains the applicable stable commit or distributor backport.
  • Review distributor advisories to resolve the bundle's ambiguous affected-version entries.
  • After updating, run approved swap-integrity regression tests and check for data corruption.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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CVE-2024-26759 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
5Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.8CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Linux

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.8High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2024-26759Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
CVECVE Program Container
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux0bcac06f27d7528591c27ac2b093ccd71c5d0168, 0bcac06f27d7528591c27ac2b093ccd71c5d0168, 0bcac06f27d7528591c27ac2b093ccd71c5d0168, 0bcac06f27d7528591c27ac2b093ccd71c5d0168unaffected
LinuxLinux4.15, 0, 6.1.80, 6.6.19, 6.7.7, 6.8affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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