---
id: CVE-2026-74512
title: 'audit: fix potential use-after-free in audit_del_rule()'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  audit: fix potential use-after-free in audit_del_rule()

  `audit_del_rule()` destroys `e->rule.exe` via `audit_remove_mark_rule()`
  before unlinking the rule from RCU-vis…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cvssSource: cna
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc <
    93616c567469510b7bba55b2674e0c4523fd7e64
  - >-
    Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc <
    3f82927b399d7a276c0c12b6ff4424b747a0c9a7
  - >-
    Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc <
    8ae135a8962be9d4e8a131eb18eb06cdf02a47ce
  - >-
    Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc <
    45bf3df5b32e5a49953e7ceabc55f7dd85380e46
  - >-
    Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc <
    78bde7e9bd36eaae1b8e8cfcd47f12a34f301dbf
  - >-
    Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc <
    cae0dfed5d307b240bff71c3cf206652d1b6f215
  - >-
    Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc <
    5b8f46864f06d6dbacb7dcea52bc084dfd122638
  - >-
    Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc <
    246df90b5f1a8a6e6abbd2f058b029558720adec
  - Linux 4.3
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-16T18:58:42.622737Z'
published: '2026-08-15'
updated: '2026-10-16'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-16T19:05:51.743Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74512'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93616c567469510b7bba55b2674e0c4523fd7e64'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f82927b399d7a276c0c12b6ff4424b747a0c9a7'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ae135a8962be9d4e8a131eb18eb06cdf02a47ce'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/45bf3df5b32e5a49953e7ceabc55f7dd85380e46'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/78bde7e9bd36eaae1b8e8cfcd47f12a34f301dbf'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cae0dfed5d307b240bff71c3cf206652d1b6f215'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5b8f46864f06d6dbacb7dcea52bc084dfd122638'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/246df90b5f1a8a6e6abbd2f058b029558720adec'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00126
epssPercentile: 0.0203
ingestedAt: '2026-10-16T19:46:24.350Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

audit: fix potential use-after-free in audit_del_rule()

`audit_del_rule()` destroys `e->rule.exe` via `audit_remove_mark_rule()`
before unlinking the rule from RCU-visible filter lists and waiting for a
grace period. Concurrent readers in `audit_filter()` and
`audit_filter_rules()` still dereference `e->rule.exe`, while the fsnotify
mark can be freed on an independent lifetime path. This creates a
use-after-free window during rule deletion.

Fix this by unlinking the rule from the RCU-visible lists and invoking
`synchronize_rcu()` before calling `audit_remove_mark_rule()` (and other
rule removal helpers). This ensures that all existing RCU readers have
exited the critical section before any underlying resources are destroyed.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc < 93616c567469510b7bba55b2674e0c4523fd7e64`
- `Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc < 3f82927b399d7a276c0c12b6ff4424b747a0c9a7`
- `Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc < 8ae135a8962be9d4e8a131eb18eb06cdf02a47ce`
- `Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc < 45bf3df5b32e5a49953e7ceabc55f7dd85380e46`
- `Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc < 78bde7e9bd36eaae1b8e8cfcd47f12a34f301dbf`
- `Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc < cae0dfed5d307b240bff71c3cf206652d1b6f215`
- `Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc < 5b8f46864f06d6dbacb7dcea52bc084dfd122638`
- `Linux >= 34d99af52ad40bd498ba66970579a5bc1fb1a3bc < 246df90b5f1a8a6e6abbd2f058b029558720adec`
- `Linux 4.3`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.