dbcve.org
Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-53333

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.18.36 / 7.0.13 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click 7 weeks old

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: mm/mincore: handle non-swap entries before !CONFIG_SWAP guard mincore_swap() also fields migration/hwpoison entries (and shmem swapin-error entries), which can exist on !CONFIG_SWAP builds when CONFIG_MIGRATION or CONFIG_MEMORY_FAILURE is enabled. The !IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SWAP) guard ran before the non-swap-entry early return, so mincore_pte_range() can spuriously WARN and report these pages nonresident on !CONFIG_SWAP kernels. Move the guard below the non-swap-entry check so only true swap entries trip the WARN, and migration/hwpoison entries take the existing "uptodate / non-shmem" path.

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 · high confidence

A logic error in Linux kernel's mincore_pte_range() places a CONFIG_SWAP guard before the non-swap-entry check, causing migration, hwpoison, and shmem swapin-error entries to be incorrectly reported as nonresident on kernels compiled without CONFIG_SWAP but with CONFIG_MIGRATION or CONFIG_MEMORY_FAILURE enabled. This leads to incorrect memory reporting via the mincore() syscall.

MitigationThis is a kernel code bug requiring a source code fix (reordering the CONFIG_SWAP guard below the non-swap-entry check). No user-configurable workaround exists; the fix must be applied to the kernel source and the kernel rebuilt.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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, < 6.18.36>= 6.19, < 7.0.13= 7.1

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or check /proc/version to get the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version is 6.18.x where x >= 36, or 6.19.x where x >= 13, or 7.0.x where x >= 13, or exactly 7.1
  2. Check if CONFIG_SWAP is disabled in kernel config
    Check /boot/config-$(uname -r) or /proc/config.gz (if available) for 'CONFIG_SWAP=y'; if it shows '# CONFIG_SWAP is not set' or 'CONFIG_SWAP=n', SWAP is disabled
    Affected if CONFIG_SWAP is not enabled (disabled or not set)
  3. Check if CONFIG_MIGRATION is enabled
    Search the kernel config for 'CONFIG_MIGRATION=y'
    Affected if CONFIG_MIGRATION is enabled (CONFIG_MIGRATION=y)
  4. Check if CONFIG_MEMORY_FAILURE is enabled
    Search the kernel config for 'CONFIG_MEMORY_FAILURE=y'
    Affected if CONFIG_MEMORY_FAILURE is enabled (CONFIG_MEMORY_FAILURE=y)

The environment is affected if running an affected kernel version (6.18.36+, 6.19.13+, 7.0.13+, or 7.1) AND CONFIG_SWAP is disabled while either CONFIG_MIGRATION or CONFIG_MEMORY_FAILURE is enabled, causing mincore() to incorrectly report migration/hwpoison entries as nonresident.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 6.18.36 / 7.0.13 or later
Fixed in 6.18.367.0.13
Interim mitigation

This is a kernel code bug requiring a source code fix (reordering the CONFIG_SWAP guard below the non-swap-entry check). No user-configurable workaround exists; the fix must be applied to the kernel source and the kernel rebuilt.

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 6.18.36, 7.0.13, or a version after 7.1 (e.g., 7.2 or later)

  1. Identify the current running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Check if the system is running an affected version: >= 6.18 and < 6.18.36, >= 6.19 and < 7.0.13, or exactly 7.1
  3. Plan a kernel upgrade to a fixed version: 6.18.36+, 7.0.13+, or a version after 7.1 (e.g., 7.2 or later)
  4. Schedule a maintenance window for the kernel upgrade
  5. Back up any critical data as a precaution
  6. Upgrade the Linux kernel package using the distribution's package manager (e.g., `apt-get dist-upgrade`, `yum update`, or `dnf upgrade`)
  7. Reboot the system to load the new kernel
  8. Verify the new kernel version is running with `uname -r` and confirm it is a fixed version
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could have compatibility implications with custom kernel modules or specific hardware drivers; test in a non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-53333 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-53333 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data