CVE-2026-74400

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: fix crash in bpf_[set|remove]_dentry_xattr for negative dentries bpf_set_dentry_xattr and bpf_remove_dentry_xattr BPF kfuncs attempt to lock the inode of the supplied dentry without checking if it is NULL. If a negative dentry is passed (e.g. from security_inode_create), d_inode(dentry) returns NULL, and inode_lock(inode) will cause a NULL pointer dereference. Trivially fix this by adding a NULL check for inode before attempting to lock it, returning -EINVAL if it is NULL. Additionally, drop WARN_ON(!inode) in bpf_xattr_read_permission() and bpf_xattr_write_permission(). These warnings could be triggered by passing a negative dentry to bpf_get_dentry_xattr() or the _locked variants of the xattr kfuncs, potentially causing a Denial of Service on systems with panic_on_warn enabled. Instead, simply return -EINVAL.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-08-15
Last modified 2026-08-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.15 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.15
Fixed in
✓ 6.18.40 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.5 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-74400?

    CVE-2026-74400 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.15 onward and has been patched in 6.18.40, 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc1. CVE-2026-74400 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-74400?

    Yes. CVE-2026-74400 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.40, 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc1. If you are running Linux kernel 6.15 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-74400 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-74400 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.