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CVE-2026-23161

N/A Unknown
Denial of Service

📋 TL;DR

A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's memory management subsystem allows improper handling of swap entries during truncation operations. This can lead to kernel panics, system hangs, or potential data corruption. Systems using the Linux kernel with shmem (shared memory) and swap functionality are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:
  • Linux kernel
Versions: Specific affected versions not specified in CVE, but patches available for stable kernel branches
Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions
Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes
Notes: Requires shmem and swap functionality to be enabled and used. Particularly problematic with ZSWAP configurations.

⚠️ Manual Verification Required

This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.

Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).

🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.

Recommended Actions:
  1. Review the CVE details at NVD
  2. Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
  3. Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
  4. Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic leading to system crash and denial of service, with potential data corruption in shared memory regions.

🟠

Likely Case

System hangs during swap operations, particularly when using ZSWAP with shmem, causing performance degradation or temporary unavailability.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact during memory management operations with no security compromise.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a kernel-level vulnerability requiring local access or specific memory management operations.
🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could potentially trigger the race condition, leading to system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No
Weaponized: UNKNOWN
Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No
Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires triggering a specific race condition during memory management operations. Observed during stress testing of ZSWAP with shmem.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Patches available in stable kernel branches (commits: 8a1968bd997f45a9b11aefeabdd1232e1b6c7184, a99f9a4669a04662c8f9efe0e62cafc598153139, b23bee8cdb7aabce5701a7f57414db5a354ae8ed)

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a1968bd997f45a9b11aefeabdd1232e1b6c7184

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution vendor. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable swap or ZSWAP

Linux

Temporarily disable swap functionality or ZSWAP to prevent triggering the race condition

swapoff -a
echo 0 > /sys/module/zswap/parameters/enabled

🧯 If You Can't Patch

  • Monitor system logs for kernel panic or hang indicators
  • Implement strict process isolation to limit access to memory management operations

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and compare with patched versions from kernel.org stable branches

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version matches patched version and monitor for swap-related hangs or panics

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

  • Kernel panic messages
  • System hang during swap operations
  • OOM killer activity

Network Indicators:

  • None - this is a local kernel vulnerability

SIEM Query:

Search for kernel panic logs or system crash reports in system logs

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2026-23161
CVSS v3 Score: N/A (Unknown)
Published: February 14, 2026
Last Updated: February 18, 2026

🔗 References

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