# CVE-2026-63952: memfd: deny writeable mappings when implying SEAL_WRITE

> An attacker can bypass memfd write seals by exploiting a race condition in SEAL_EXEC handling, allowing arbitrary modification of supposedly read-only memory.

- **Severity:** High 8.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **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:** 19 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-63952, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-63952, GHSA-6pc4-h32v-99rg, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-63952

## What is CVE-2026-63952?

CVE-2026-63952 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 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:

memfd: deny writeable mappings when implying SEAL_WRITE

When SEAL_EXEC is added, SEAL_WRITE is implied to make W^X.  But the
implied seal is set after the check that makes sure the memfd can not have
any writable mappings.  This means one can use SEAL_EXEC to apply
SEAL_WRITE while having writeable mappings.

This breaks the contract that SEAL_WRITE provides and can be used by an
attacker to pass a memfd that appears to be write sealed but can still be
modified arbitrarily.

Fix this by adding the implied seals before the call for
mapping_deny_writable() is done.

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-63952?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-63952?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-63952 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-63952 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-2026-63952 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-63952 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 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-2026-63952 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-2026-63952/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-63952/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-63952
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-63952
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-63952

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-63952/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.