---
id: CVE-2026-97903
title: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  exit: hold a reference to thread_pid across proc_flush_pid

  Commit 0a36bad01731 ("release_task: kill the no longer needed
  get/put_pid(thread_pid)") removed the referenc…
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  exit: hold a reference to thread_pid across proc_flush_pid

  Commit 0a36bad01731 ("release_task: kill the no longer needed
  get/put_pid(thread_pid)") removed the referenc…
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'
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 0a36bad01731e71568bdd365764d38b6bd576ab0 <
    bcb0936862f2b653114d9bd582ca26990ef54a64
  - >-
    Linux >= 0a36bad01731e71568bdd365764d38b6bd576ab0 <
    96803a12e8ac15f0a1b4b151db59038f12304e58
  - >-
    Linux >= 0a36bad01731e71568bdd365764d38b6bd576ab0 <
    cdd812d0683dee14ead02c9eded568685e61b23f
  - Linux 6.16
published: '2026-09-25'
updated: '2026-09-25'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-25T15:18:01.960'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97903'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/96803a12e8ac15f0a1b4b151db59038f12304e58'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bcb0936862f2b653114d9bd582ca26990ef54a64'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cdd812d0683dee14ead02c9eded568685e61b23f'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-09-25T11:06:38.894Z'
---

## Overview

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

exit: hold a reference to thread_pid across proc_flush_pid

Commit 0a36bad01731 ("release_task: kill the no longer needed
get/put_pid(thread_pid)") removed the reference around proc_flush_pid().
It assumed that free_pids(post.pids) at the end of release_task() would
keep thread_pid alive until then.

That assumption is wrong.  __change_pid() only records a detached PID in
post.pids when pid_has_task() is false for every PIDTYPE.  If another task
still uses the exiting task's PID as its process group or session ID,
__unhash_process() removes the exiting task's PIDTYPE_PID link but leaves
the PID out of post.pids.  release_task() therefore holds no reference to
it after dropping tasklist_lock.

The other task can then remove the remaining PIDTYPE links.  Its
free_pids() call schedules delayed_put_pid(), and the RCU callback can free
the PID before the first release_task() reaches proc_flush_pid().

An unprivileged reproducer races wait4(-1) against setsid() to trigger this
ordering.  Three of three fresh v7.2 KASAN boots reported:

    BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in
    proc_invalidate_siblings_dcache+0x3e2/0x3f0
    Read of size 8 by task h7_pid_reaper/1921

    Call Trace:
     proc_invalidate_siblings_dcache
     release_task
     wait_consider_task
     __do_wait
     do_wait
     kernel_wait4

    Freed by task 0:
     kmem_cache_free
     put_pid
     delayed_put_pid
     rcu_core

    Last potentially related work creation:
     __call_rcu_common
     free_pids
     ksys_setsid

KASAN identified a 144-byte object from the pid cache and located the bad
read 80 bytes into the freed object, matching pid->inodes.  With an
explicit reference, three of three fresh boots completed without a KASAN
report.  The concurrent RCU callback dropped its reference while
proc_flush_pid() was protected, and the balancing put_pid() performed the
final free afterward.

Take a reference before __unhash_process() clears p->thread_pid and release
it after proc_flush_pid() completes.

A tested source reproducer is available privately on request.  No
controlled read or write, information leak, or privilege escalation is
claimed.  The mainline patch applies directly to v6.19.y and newer;
v6.16.y through v6.18.y need a context-adjusted backport.

## Remediation

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