# CVE-2026-64371: proc: protect ptrace_may_access() with exec_update_lock (part 1)

> A race condition in the Linux kernel procfs allows attackers to bypass ptrace access checks, potentially leading to privilege escalation or information disclosure.

- **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:** 25 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-93840, BELL-CVE-2026-64371, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64371, GHSA-mx48-2qjx-49h9, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64371, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64371

## What is CVE-2026-64371?

CVE-2026-64371 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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:

proc: protect ptrace_may_access() with exec_update_lock (part 1)

Fix the easy cases where procfs currently calls ptrace_may_access() without
exec_update_lock protection, where the fix is to simply add the extra lock
or use mm_access():

 - do_task_stat(): grab exec_update_lock
 - proc_pid_wchan(): grab exec_update_lock
 - proc_map_files_lookup(): use mm_access() instead of get_task_mm()
 - proc_map_files_readdir(): use mm_access() instead of get_task_mm()
 - proc_ns_get_link(): grab exec_update_lock
 - proc_ns_readlink(): grab exec_update_lock

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64371?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64371?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64371 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64371 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-2026-64371 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64371 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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-2026-64371 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-2026-64371/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64371/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64371
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64371
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64371

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64371/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.