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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-23134

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.18.8 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: slab: fix kmalloc_nolock() context check for PREEMPT_RT On PREEMPT_RT kernels, local_lock becomes a sleeping lock. The current check in kmalloc_nolock() only verifies we're not in NMI or hard IRQ context, but misses the case where preemption is disabled. When a BPF program runs from a tracepoint with preemption disabled (preempt_count > 0), kmalloc_nolock() proceeds to call local_lock_irqsave() which attempts to acquire a sleeping lock, triggering: BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context in_atomic(): 1, irqs_disabled(): 0, non_block: 0, pid: 6128 preempt_count: 2, expected: 0 Fix this by checking !preemptible() on PREEMPT_RT, which directly expresses the constraint that we cannot take a sleeping lock when preemption is disabled. This encompasses the previous checks for NMI and hard IRQ contexts while also catching cases where preemption is disabled.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.18, < 6.18.8= 6.19

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.18.8 or later
Fixed in 6.18.8
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Kernel 6.18.8 or later in the 6.18.x stable branch, or kernel 6.20 or later in the mainline branch

  1. Identify the current kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
  2. Confirm the kernel is one of the affected versions: 6.18.x (where x < 8) or exactly 6.19
  3. Check if PREEMPT_RT patch is in use (this vulnerability affects PREEMPT_RT kernels specifically)
  4. Schedule a maintenance window for kernel update
  5. Upgrade to kernel version 6.18.8 or later for the 6.18.x branch, OR upgrade to kernel version 6.20 or later for the mainline
  6. Reboot the system into the new kernel
  7. Verify the fix is present by checking the kernel version: 'uname -r'
  8. Optionally, verify the specific commit is included: 'git log --oneline | grep 99a3e3a1' in kernel source or check kernel config
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding out-of-tree modules; ensure compatibility of proprietary drivers or third-party kernel modules with the new version before rebooting

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-23134 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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