CVE-2026-74482

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/huge_memory: unlock i_mmap_rwsem before releasing after-split folios __folio_split() keeps dereferencing the mapping after the split: shmem_uncharge(mapping->host) and remap_page() while the folios are still frozen/locked, and i_mmap_unlock_read(mapping) at the very end, after the after-split folios have been unlocked and freed. Nothing holds an inode reference across that. The split relies on @folio -- which the beyond-EOF drop loop never removes, as it starts at folio_next(folio) -- staying locked and in the page cache to hold off eviction. But the unlock loop unlocks @folio before i_mmap_unlock_read() runs. If the caller's @lock_at is a tail beyond EOF, as memory_failure() passes when splitting a poisoned tail of a shmem THP that reaches past i_size during truncation, it too is gone from the page cache; so once @folio is unlocked no locked, in-cache folio pins the inode, and a concurrent final iput() can evict and RCU-free it before i_mmap_unlock_read() touches i_mmap_rwsem: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __up_read+0x634/0x790 i_mmap_unlock_read include/linux/fs.h:537 [inline] __folio_split+0x732/0x1640 mm/huge_memory.c:4100 try_to_split_thp_page+0xab/0x390 mm/memory-failure.c:1675 memory_failure+0x1394/0x26e0 mm/memory-failure.c:2470 Freed by task 4601: shmem_free_in_core_inode+0x54/0xb0 mm/shmem.c:5177 evict+0x57f/0xac0 fs/inode.c:870 Do every mapping dereference while @folio still pins the inode: drop i_mmap_rwsem right after remap_page(), before the loop that unlocks and frees the after-split folios, and clear @mapping so the exit path does not unlock it again. shmem_uncharge() and remap_page() already run before that point, so after this nothing past the unlock loop touches the inode or the mapping. This is now a rule the split depends on, alongside keeping @folio frozen until the page cache is updated: no inode or mapping dereference once the after-split folios start being unlocked.

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.8 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.151, 6.12.103, 6.18.44, 7.1.8, 7.2-rc6 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.8
Fixed in
✓ 6.6.151 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.103 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.44 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.8 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc6

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-74482?

    CVE-2026-74482 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.8 onward and has been patched in 6.6.151, 6.12.103, 6.18.44 and others. CVE-2026-74482 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-74482?

    Yes. CVE-2026-74482 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.151, 6.12.103, 6.18.44 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.8 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-74482 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-74482 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.