CVE-2026-45966
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: apparmor: fix NULL pointer dereference in __unix_needs_revalidation When receiving file descriptors via SCM_RIGHTS, both the socket pointer and the socket's sk pointer can be NULL during socket setup or teardown, causing NULL pointer dereferences in __unix_needs_revalidation(). This is a regression in AppArmor 5.0.0 (kernel 6.17+) where the new __unix_needs_revalidation() function was added without proper NULL checks. The crash manifests as: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0x0000000000000018 RIP: aa_file_perm+0xb7/0x3b0 (or +0xbe/0x3b0, +0xc0/0x3e0) Call Trace: apparmor_file_receive+0x42/0x80 security_file_receive+0x2e/0x50 receive_fd+0x1d/0xf0 scm_detach_fds+0xad/0x1c0 The function dereferences sock->sk->sk_family without checking if either sock or sock->sk is NULL first. Add NULL checks for both sock and sock->sk before accessing sk_family.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
6.17
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.18.14,
6.19.4,
7.0
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-45966 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2938ad00b21340c0362562dfedd7cfec0554d67
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e85bc9101afc4202aa2269967ce9d3ffbecd0994
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fea017a7f6abe179decf575a2d8464c74edb3964
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-45966?
CVE-2026-45966 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.17 onward and has been patched in 6.18.14, 6.19.4 and 7.0. CVE-2026-45966 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-45966?
Yes — CVE-2026-45966 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.14, 6.19.4 and 7.0. If you are running Linux kernel 6.17 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-45966 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2026-45966 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.