CVE-2026-53361 af_unix: Set gc_in_progress to true in unix_gc().
A race condition in the Linux kernel's Unix socket garbage collection can lead to denial of service due to incorrect state handling.
- 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-2026-53361?
CVE-2026-53361 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 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:
af_unix: Set gc_in_progress to true in unix_gc().
Igor Ushakov reported that unix_gc() could run with gc_in_progress being false if the work is scheduled while running:
Thread 1 Thread 2 Thread 3 -------- -------- -------- unix_schedule_gc() unix_schedule_gc() `- if (!gc_in_progress) `- if (!gc_in_progress) |- gc_in_progress = true | `- queue_work() | unix_gc() <----------------/ | | |- gc_in_progress = true ... `- queue_work() | | `- gc_in_progress = false | | unix_gc() <---------------------------------------------' | ... /* gc_in_progress == false */ | `- gc_in_progress = false
unix_peek_fpl() relies on gc_in_progress not to confuse GC by MSG_PEEK.
Let's set gc_in_progress to true in unix_gc().
Weakness: CWE-362
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53361?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-53361?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-53361 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53361 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Public exploit code: 1 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as AZL-92004, BELL-CVE-2026-53361, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53361, GHSA-h72j-p4f7-vrcj, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-53361, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-53361 and 1 more.