# CVE-2026-53341: fhandle: fix UAF due to unlocked ->mnt_ns read in may_decode_fh()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's fhandle subsystem allows a use-after-free, potentially causing a kernel crash or minor information leak.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-53341, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53341, GHSA-r4cc-8gxc-2cxh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-53341, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53341

## What is CVE-2026-53341?

CVE-2026-53341 is a high-severity use after free 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:

fhandle: fix UAF due to unlocked ->mnt_ns read in may_decode_fh()

may_decode_fh() accesses mount::mnt_ns without holding any locks; that
means the mount can concurrently be unmounted, and the mnt_namespace can
concurrently be freed after an RCU grace period.

This race can happens as follows, assuming that the mount point was
created by open_tree(..., OPEN_TREE_CLONE):

thread 1            thread 2            RCU
                    __do_sys_open_by_handle_at
                      do_handle_open
                        handle_to_path
                          may_decode_fh
                            is_mounted
                              [mount::mnt_ns access]
                            [mount::mnt_ns access]
__do_sys_close
  fput_close_sync
    __fput
      dissolve_on_fput
        umount_tree
        class_namespace_excl_destructor
          namespace_unlock
            free_mnt_ns
              mnt_ns_tree_remove
                call_rcu(mnt_ns_release_rcu)
                                        mnt_ns_release_rcu
                                          mnt_ns_release
                                            kfree
                            [mnt_namespace::user_ns access] **UAF**

Fix it by taking rcu_read_lock() around the mount::mnt_ns access, like
in __prepend_path().
Additionally, document the semantics of mount::mnt_ns, and use WRITE_ONCE()
for writers that can race with lockless readers.

This bug is unreachable unless one of the following is set:

 - CONFIG_PREEMPTION
 - CONFIG_RCU_STRICT_GRACE_PERIOD

because it requires an RCU grace period to happen during a syscall without
an explicit preemption.

This doesn't seem to have interesting security impact; worst-case, it could
leak the result of an integer comparison to userspace (from the level
check in cap_capable()), cause an endless loop, or crash the kernel by
dereferencing an invalid address.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53341?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53341?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53341 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53341 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-2026-53341 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53341 is a high-severity use after free 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-2026-53341 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-2026-53341/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53341/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53341
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53341
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53341

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53341/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.