CVE-2026-64164

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: tracepoints: fix sleep while in atomic context in btrfs_sync_file() The trace event btrfs_sync_file() is called in an atomic context (all trace events are) and its call to dput(), which is needed due to the call to dget_parent(), can sleep, triggering a kernel splat. This can be reproduced by enabling the trace event and running btrfs/056 from fstests for example. The splat shown in dmesg is the following: [53.919] BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context at fs/dcache.c:970 [53.947] in_atomic(): 1, irqs_disabled(): 0, non_block: 0, pid: 32773, name: xfs_io [53.988] preempt_count: 2, expected: 0 [53.967] RCU nest depth: 0, expected: 0 [53.943] Preemption disabled at: [53.944] [<0000000000000000>] 0x0 [54.078] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 32773 Comm: xfs_io Tainted: G W 7.1.0-rc1-btrfs-next-232+ #1 PREEMPT(full) [54.070] Tainted: [W]=WARN [54.071] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.2-0-gea1b7a073390-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [54.072] Call Trace: [54.074] <TASK> [54.076] dump_stack_lvl+0x56/0x80 [54.079] __might_resched.cold+0xd6/0x10f [54.072] dput.part.0+0x24/0x110 [54.078] trace_event_raw_event_btrfs_sync_file+0x75/0x140 [btrfs] [54.089] btrfs_sync_file+0x1ed/0x530 [btrfs] [54.087] ? __handle_mm_fault+0x8ae/0xed0 [54.089] btrfs_do_write_iter+0x172/0x210 [btrfs] [54.091] vfs_write+0x21f/0x450 [54.094] __x64_sys_pwrite64+0x8d/0xc0 [54.096] ? do_user_addr_fault+0x20c/0x670 [54.099] do_syscall_64+0x60/0xf20 [54.092] ? clear_bhb_loop+0x60/0xb0 [54.094] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e So stop using dget_parent() and dput() and access the parent dentry directly as dentry->d_parent. This is also what ext4 is doing in its equivalent trace event ext4_sync_file_enter().

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-07-19
Last modified 2026-08-13
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-2026-64164 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability

What is NULL Pointer Dereference?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.6.136, 6.12.83, 6.18.24, 6.19.14, 7.0 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.142, 6.12.92, 6.18.34, 7.0.11, 7.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.6.136 ≥ 6.12.83 ≥ 6.18.24 ≥ 6.19.14 ≥ 7.0
Fixed in
✓ 6.6.142 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.92 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.34 6.18.x ✓ 7.0.11 7.0.x ✓ 7.1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-64164?

    CVE-2026-64164 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.6.136 onward and has been patched in 6.6.142, 6.12.92, 6.18.34 and others. CVE-2026-64164 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-64164?

    CVE-2026-64164 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-64164?

    Yes. CVE-2026-64164 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.142, 6.12.92, 6.18.34 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.6.136 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-64164 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-64164 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.