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Linux Kernel Tracing Bug Fixed, Prevents Infinite Loop
CVE-2026-23138
Summary
A bug in the Linux kernel's tracing feature could cause a computer to freeze due to an infinite loop. This issue has been fixed, but a related problem in another part of the kernel remains to be addressed. Up-to-date Linux kernel versions are not affected, but administrators should ensure their systems are running the latest version to stay secure.
Original title
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
tracing: Add recursion protection in kernel stack trace recording
A bug was reported about an infinite recursion caused by trac...
Original description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
tracing: Add recursion protection in kernel stack trace recording
A bug was reported about an infinite recursion caused by tracing the rcu
events with the kernel stack trace trigger enabled. The stack trace code
called back into RCU which then called the stack trace again.
Expand the ftrace recursion protection to add a set of bits to protect
events from recursion. Each bit represents the context that the event is
in (normal, softirq, interrupt and NMI).
Have the stack trace code use the interrupt context to protect against
recursion.
Note, the bug showed an issue in both the RCU code as well as the tracing
stacktrace code. This only handles the tracing stack trace side of the
bug. The RCU fix will be handled separately.
tracing: Add recursion protection in kernel stack trace recording
A bug was reported about an infinite recursion caused by tracing the rcu
events with the kernel stack trace trigger enabled. The stack trace code
called back into RCU which then called the stack trace again.
Expand the ftrace recursion protection to add a set of bits to protect
events from recursion. Each bit represents the context that the event is
in (normal, softirq, interrupt and NMI).
Have the stack trace code use the interrupt context to protect against
recursion.
Note, the bug showed an issue in both the RCU code as well as the tracing
stacktrace code. This only handles the tracing stack trace side of the
bug. The RCU fix will be handled separately.
Published: 14 Feb 2026 · Updated: 10 Mar 2026 · First seen: 6 Mar 2026