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perf/core: Fix refcount bug and potential UAF in perf_mmap

Type: advisorySources: OSV

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Fix refcount bug and potential UAF in perf_mmap Syzkaller reported a refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free warning in perf_mmap. The issue is caused by a race condition between a failing mmap() setup and a concurrent mmap() on a dependent event (e.g., using output redirection). In perf_mmap(), the ring_buffer (rb) is allocated and assigned to event->rb with the mmap_mutex held. The mutex is then released to perform map_range(). If map_range() fails, perf_mmap_close() is called to clean up. However, since the mutex was dropped, another thread attaching to this event (via inherited events or output redirection) can acquire the mutex, observe the valid event->rb pointer, and attempt to increment its reference count. If the cleanup path has already dropped the reference count to zero, this results in a use-after-free or refcount saturation warning. Fix this by extending the scope of mmap_mutex to cover the map_range() call. This ensures that the ring buffer initialization and mapping (or cleanup on failure) happens atomically effectively, preventing other threads from accessing a half-initialized or dying ring buffer.

Products
Kernel
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
6.18.17, 6.19.7
CVEs
CVE-2026-23248
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
8 Nov 2026, 01:33 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

perf/core: Fix refcount bug and potential UAF in perf_mmap

core-osv · Original source

Published 18 Mar 2026, 10:05 UTC

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Fix refcount bug and potential UAF in perf_mmap Syzkaller reported a refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free warning in perf_mmap. The issue is caused by a race condition between a failing mmap() setup and a concurrent mmap() on a dependent event (e.g., using output redirection). In perf_mmap(), the ring_buffer (rb) is allocated and assigned to event->rb with the mmap_mutex held. The mutex is then released to perform map_range(). If map_range() fails, perf_mmap_close() is called to clean up. However, since the mutex was dropped, another thread attaching to this event (via inherited events or output redirection) can acquire the mutex, observe the valid event->rb pointer, and attempt to increment its reference count. If the cleanup path has already dropped the reference count to zero, this results in a use-after-free or refcount saturation warning. Fix this by extending the scope of mmap_mutex to cover the map_range() call. This ensures that the ring buffer initialization and mapping (or cleanup on failure) happens atomically effectively, preventing other threads from accessing a half-initialized or dying ring buffer.

osv:CVE-2026-23248

Kernel

Fixed versions: 6.18.17, 6.19.7

Complete source record
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  "id": "b420bd8c7f9c816d7b3564c011dc14916e79675606ce10d4a46015a1f81fea39",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-23248",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "perf/core: Fix refcount bug and potential UAF in perf_mmap",
    "summary": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Fix refcount bug and potential UAF in perf_mmap Syzkaller reported a refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free warning in perf_mmap. The issue is caused by a race condition between a failing mmap() setup and a concurrent mmap() on a dependent event (e.g., using output redirection). In perf_mmap(), the ring_buffer (rb) is allocated and assigned to event->rb with the mmap_mutex held. The mutex is then released to perform map_range(). If map_range() fails, perf_mmap_close() is called to clean up. However, since the mutex was dropped, another thread attaching to this event (via inherited events or output redirection) can acquire the mutex, observe the valid event->rb pointer, and attempt to increment its reference count. If the cleanup path has already dropped the reference count to zero, this results in a use-after-free or refcount saturation warning. Fix this by extending the scope of mmap_mutex to cover the map_range() call. This ensures that the ring buffer initialization and mapping (or cleanup on failure) happens atomically effectively, preventing other threads from accessing a half-initialized or dying ring buffer.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2026-23248",
    "products": [
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          "value": "Kernel",
          "evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
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            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
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              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
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          "database_specific": {
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      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-28T02:30:52.442090812Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
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        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c27dea9f50ed525facb62ef647dddc4722456e07",
        "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/23xxx/CVE-2026-23248.json",
        "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23248",
        "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "cna_assigner": "Linux",
        "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/23xxx/CVE-2026-23248.json"
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    "related_cves": [
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    "security_relevant": true,
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  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 521385,
  "published_at": "2026-03-18T10:05:10.07+00:00"
}