CVE-2026-23411 apparmor: fix race between freeing data and fs accessing it
A race condition in the Linux kernel's AppArmor module allows attackers to trigger use-after-free errors, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-23411?
CVE-2026-23411 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
apparmor: fix race between freeing data and fs accessing it
AppArmor was putting the reference to i_private data on its end after removing the original entry from the file system. However the inode can aand does live beyond that point and it is possible that some of the fs call back functions will be invoked after the reference has been put, which results in a race between freeing the data and accessing it through the fs.
While the rawdata/loaddata is the most likely candidate to fail the race, as it has the fewest references. If properly crafted it might be possible to trigger a race for the other types stored in i_private.
Fix this by moving the put of i_private referenced data to the correct place which is during inode eviction.
Weakness: CWE-362
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23411?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-23411?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-23411 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23411 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as AZL-82037, BELL-CVE-2026-23411, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23411, GHSA-4g4x-f3f9-gpq4, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23411.