# CVE-2026-64368: mm/slab: do not limit zeroing to orig_size when only red zoning is enabled

> Enabling SLAB_RED_ZONE without SLAB_STORE_USER fails to zero memory, potentially leaking sensitive data to attackers.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-93467, BELL-CVE-2026-64368, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64368, GHSA-m4hc-cp9r-f6rj, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64368, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64368

## What is CVE-2026-64368?

CVE-2026-64368 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mm/slab: do not limit zeroing to orig_size when only red zoning is enabled

When init (zeroing) on allocation is requested, for kmalloc() we
generally have to zero the full object size even if a smaller size is
requested, in order to provide krealloc()'s __GFP_ZERO guarantees.

But if we track the requested size, krealloc() uses that information to
do the right thing, so we can zero only the requested size. With red
zoning also enabled, any extra size became part of the red zone, so it
must not be zeroed and thus we must zero only the requested size.

However the current check is imprecise, and will trigger also when only
SLAB_RED_ZONE is enabled without SLAB_STORE_USER (which enables tracking
the requested size). This means enabling red zoning alone can compromise
krealloc()'s __GFP_ZERO contract.

Fix this by using slub_debug_orig_size() instead, which is the exact
check for whether the requested size is tracked. We don't need to care
if red zoning is also enabled or not. Also update and expand the
comment accordingly.

Weakness: CWE-665 (Improper Initialization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64368?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64368?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64368 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64368 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-2026-64368 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64368 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64368 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-2026-64368/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64368/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64368
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64368
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64368

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64368/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.