# CVE-2026-53328: sched_ext: Don't warn on NULL cgrp_moving_from in scx_cgroup_move_task()

> A kernel warning triggered by specific cgroup operations with sched_ext loaded can cause system instability or denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 1 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 1 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-53328, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53328, GHSA-q89p-4x7p-f9v9, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53328

## What is CVE-2026-53328?

CVE-2026-53328 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Jul 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:

sched_ext: Don't warn on NULL cgrp_moving_from in scx_cgroup_move_task()

A WARN fires when systemd's user manager writes "+cpu +memory +pids" to
its own subtree_control while a sched_ext scheduler is loaded:

  WARNING: at kernel/sched/ext.c:3227 scx_cgroup_move_task+0xa8/0xb0
   scx_cgroup_move_task+0xa8/0xb0
   sched_move_task+0x134/0x290
   cpu_cgroup_attach+0x39/0x70
   cgroup_migrate_execute+0x37d/0x450
   cgroup_update_dfl_csses+0x1e3/0x270
   cgroup_subtree_control_write+0x3e7/0x440

scx_cgroup_can_attach() arms cgrp_moving_from only when a task's cpu
cgroup changes. It can still be NULL when scx_cgroup_move_task() runs,
through this sequence:

  Step                               Result
  ---------------------------------  ----------------------------------
  1. cpu enabled on cgroup G         cpu css = A
  2. cpu toggled off then on for G   A killed, B created (same cgroup)
  3. an exiting task keeps A alive   migration skips it, A now stale
  4. +memory migrates G              stale A vs current B pulls cpu in
  5. cpu attach runs for all tasks   hits a live, cpu-unchanged task
  6. scx_cgroup_move_task() on it    cgrp_moving_from NULL -> WARN

The mismatch is that scx_cgroup_can_attach() keys on cgroup identity
while migration drives the move on css identity, so a NULL cgrp_moving_from
here is a legitimate css-only migration, not a missing prep.

The call is already gated on cgrp_moving_from, so just drop the warning.
ops.cgroup_prep_move() and ops.cgroup_move() stay paired.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53328?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53328?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53328 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53328 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-53328 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53328 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Jul 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53328 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53328/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53328/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53328
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53328
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53328

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53328/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.