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CVE Record

CVE-2026-23100: mm/hugetlb: fix hugetlb_pmd_shared()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/hugetlb: fix hugetlb_pmd_shared() Patch series "mm/hugetlb: fixes for PMD table sharing (incl. using mmu_gather)", v3. One functional fix, one performance regression fix, and two related comment fixes. I cleaned up my prototype I recently shared [1] for the performance fix, deferring most of the cleanups I had in the prototype to a later point. While doing that I identified the other things. The goal of this patch set is to be backported to stable trees "fairly" easily. At least patch #1 and #4. Patch #1 fixes hugetlb_pmd_shared() not detecting any sharing Patch #2 + #3 are simple comment fixes that patch #4 interacts with. Patch #4 is a fix for the reported performance regression due to excessive IPI broadcasts during fork()+exit(). The last patch is all about TLB flushes, IPIs and mmu_gather. Read: complicated There are plenty of cleanups in the future to be had + one reasonable optimization on x86. But that's all out of scope for this series. Runtime tested, with a focus on fixing the performance regression using the original reproducer [2] on x86. This patch (of 4): We switched from (wrongly) using the page count to an independent shared count. Now, shared page tables have a refcount of 1 (excluding speculative references) and instead use ptdesc->pt_share_count to identify sharing. We didn't convert hugetlb_pmd_shared(), so right now, we would never detect a shared PMD table as such, because sharing/unsharing no longer touches the refcount of a PMD table. Page migration, like mbind() or migrate_pages() would allow for migrating folios mapped into such shared PMD tables, even though the folios are not exclusive. In smaps we would account them as "private" although they are "shared", and we would be wrongly setting the PM_MMAP_EXCLUSIVE in the pagemap interface. Fix it by properly using ptdesc_pmd_is_shared() in hugetlb_pmd_shared().

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

A Linux HugeTLB memory-management error can make the kernel overlook shared page-table mappings. This may allow migration of huge pages that are not exclusive and cause monitoring interfaces to report shared memory as private or exclusive. The supplied sources do not establish a broader security impact, severity score, or exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat this as targeted kernel maintenance rather than an emergency based on current evidence. Promptly assess systems using HugeTLB or relying on pagemap exclusivity and migration correctness. Broader escalation should depend on vendor severity guidance, exposure confirmation, and evidence of security impact or exploitation.

Technical view

hugetlb_pmd_shared() continued using a PMD table page reference count after sharing detection moved to ptdesc->pt_share_count. Consequently, shared PMD tables were never recognized. The fix calls ptdesc_pmd_is_shared(). Documented effects include improper migration eligibility and incorrect smaps and pagemap reporting, including erroneous PM_MMAP_EXCLUSIVE flags.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most plausible on affected Linux kernels running workloads that use HugeTLB with shared PMD page tables, particularly where page migration, mbind(), migrate_pages(), smaps, or pagemap information matters. Ordinary systems not using this configuration may have limited exposure. The bundle's version data should be checked against exact vendor builds and backports.

Exploitation context

The source bundle reports that this CVE is not in KEV and provides no evidence of active exploitation, public weaponization, or a demonstrated attack path. It describes a kernel correctness flaw involving migration and memory-accounting semantics. Required privileges, reachability, and concrete confidentiality, integrity, or availability consequences are not specified.

Researcher notes

The central regression followed replacement of PMD page-count-based sharing with ptdesc->pt_share_count without converting hugetlb_pmd_shared(). Researchers should distinguish the functional consequences documented here from unproven security outcomes. The supplied record lacks CVSS, CWE classification, privilege requirements, and demonstrated exploitability, limiting confident risk quantification.

Mitigation direction

  • Install a vendor-supported kernel release containing the referenced stable fix.
  • Prioritize affected systems that actively use HugeTLB shared PMD mappings.
  • Check distribution and appliance vendor advisories for backported-fix status.
  • If updating is delayed, follow vendor guidance for configuration-specific risk reduction.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory running kernel versions and vendor package revisions.
  • Determine whether workloads use HugeTLB with shared PMD page tables.
  • Compare exact builds against CVE and vendor backport information.
  • Confirm the installed source or vendor changelog includes the hugetlb_pmd_shared() correction.
  • Validate smaps, pagemap, and migration behavior in an authorized staging environment.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
9

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-2026-23100 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
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.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
1ADP providers
10Source links

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

siemens-SADPADP container
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux94b4b41d0cdf5cfd4d4325bc0e6e9e0d0e996133, 8410996eb6fea116fe1483ed977aacf580eee7b4, 02333ac1c35370517a19a4a131332a9690c6a5c7, 56b274473d6e7e7375f2d0a2b4aca11d67c6b52f, 2e31443a0d18ae43b9d29e02bf0563f07772193d, 59d9094df3d79443937add8700b2ef1a866b1081, 59d9094df3d79443937add8700b2ef1a866b1081, 5.10.239, 5.15.186, 6.1.142, 6.6.72, 6.12.9unaffected
LinuxLinux6.13, 0, 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.167, 6.6.127, 6.12.74, 6.18.8, 6.19affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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