CVE-2026-68168 afs: Fix afs_edit_dir_remove() to get, not find, block 0
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel AFS filesystem allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-68168?
CVE-2026-68168 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 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:
afs: Fix afs_edit_dir_remove() to get, not find, block 0
Fix afs_edit_dir_remove() to use afs_dir_get_block() to get block 0 rather than afs_dir_find_block() as the latter caches the found block in the afs_dir_iter and may[*] switch out the page it's on if another afs_dir_find_block() is done. This parallels what afs_edit_dir_add() does.
[*] There's more than one block per page.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-68168?
How do I fix CVE-2026-68168?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-68168 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-68168 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-68168, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-68168, GHSA-jwjj-cxp5-4ffw, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-68168.