LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2026-46093: mm/vmalloc: take vmap_purge_lock in shrinker

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/vmalloc: take vmap_purge_lock in shrinker decay_va_pool_node() can be invoked concurrently from two paths: __purge_vmap_area_lazy() when pools are being purged, and the shrinker via vmap_node_shrink_scan(). However, decay_va_pool_node() is not safe to run concurrently, and the shrinker path currently lacks serialization, leading to races and possible leaks. Protect decay_va_pool_node() by taking vmap_purge_lock in the shrinker path to ensure serialization with purge users.

HighCVSS 7.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Linux memory-management housekeeping can run concurrently without the required lock, creating a race that may leak resources. The supplied record rates this high severity, but it does not establish code execution or observed attacks. Exploitation would require local, low-privileged access under the supplied CVSS vector.

Executive priority

Treat as a high-priority kernel maintenance issue, especially on shared systems permitting untrusted local access. Expedite vendor-supported updates, but avoid declaring an incident solely from this CVE: the supplied sources show a concurrency defect and possible leaks, not confirmed exploitation.

Technical view

The shrinker path vmap_node_shrink_scan() can call decay_va_pool_node() concurrently with __purge_vmap_area_lazy(). Because decay_va_pool_node() is not concurrency-safe, the race can cause leaks. The upstream resolution serializes the shrinker path with purge users by acquiring vmap_purge_lock.

Likely exposure

The bundle identifies Linux 6.9, 6.12.96, 6.18.27, 7.0.4, and 7.1 as affected, alongside an ambiguous “0” entry. Exact affected branch ranges are not provided. Exposure should therefore be confirmed through distribution advisories and whether the running kernel contains the applicable stable fix.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is supported by the supplied evidence: the CVE is not listed as KEV, and no cited source reports exploitation. The CVSS vector describes a local, low-complexity attack requiring low privileges and no user interaction; it does not describe a network attack.

Researcher notes

The corrective design is narrow: take vmap_purge_lock in the shrinker path before decay_va_pool_node(), serializing it with purge activity. The bundle provides four stable commits but does not identify their precise branch mapping. The 7.8 CVSS impact claims are supplied ratings; the description itself explicitly documents races and possible leaks.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply a vendor kernel update containing the appropriate cited stable fix for your maintained branch.
  • Consult your Linux distributor’s advisory because the bundle does not map fixes to every packaged kernel.
  • Prioritize multi-user and shared-compute systems where untrusted users can obtain local access.
  • Reboot into the updated kernel after following the distributor’s installation guidance.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory running kernel versions and compare them with vendor-specific affected-version guidance.
  • Confirm the installed package changelog includes CVE-2026-46093 or an applicable cited stable commit.
  • Verify systems are running the updated kernel after reboot, not merely storing it on disk.
  • Review monitoring for unexplained kernel-memory growth or resource pressure, without treating these as proof of exploitation.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Public sources used

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

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-46093 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
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
0ADP providers
5Source links

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-2026-46093Attack 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.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux7679ba6b36dbb300b757b672d6a32a606499e14b, 7679ba6b36dbb300b757b672d6a32a606499e14b, 7679ba6b36dbb300b757b672d6a32a606499e14b, 7679ba6b36dbb300b757b672d6a32a606499e14bunaffected
LinuxLinux6.9, 0, 6.12.96, 6.18.27, 7.0.4, 7.1affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.