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Linux Kernel: BPF Map Creation Prevents Kernel Panic
published 3 months ago
Summary
A Linux kernel issue has been fixed that could cause a kernel panic when a privileged user creates a specific type of map. The issue occurred when the Linux Security Module (LSM) for BPF was not properly initialized. To prevent this issue, kernel developers added a flag to check if the LSM is initialized before allowing the map to be created. This fix prevents a potential kernel panic.
What to do
- Update linux kernel to version 7.1.4.
Affected software
| Ecosystem | Vendor | Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | linux | kernel |
>= 5.10.0, < 7.1.4 Fix: upgrade to 7.1.4
|
Original advisory text
bpf: Reject BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE creation if BPF LSM is uninitialized
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
bpf: Reject BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE creation if BPF LSM is uninitialized
When CONFIG_BPF_LSM=y is set, BPF inode storage maps
(BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE) are compiled into the kernel. However,
if the BPF LSM is not explicitly enabled at boot time (e.g. omitted
from the "lsm=" boot parameter), lsm_prepare() is never executed for
the BPF LSM.
Consequently, the BPF inode security blob offset
(bpf_lsm_blob_sizes.lbs_inode) is never initialized and remains at
its default compiled size of 8 bytes instead of being updated to a
valid offset past the reserved struct rcu_head (typically 16 bytes
or more).
When a privileged user creates and updates a BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE
map, bpf_inode() evaluates inode->i_security + 8. This erroneously
aliases the struct rcu_head.func callback pointer at the beginning
of the inode->i_security blob. During subsequent map element cleanup
or inode destruction, writing NULL to owner_storage clears the queued
RCU callback pointer. When rcu_do_batch() later executes the queued
callback, it attempts an instruction fetch at address 0x0, triggering
an immediate kernel panic.
Fix this by introducing a global bpf_lsm_initialized boolean flag
marked with __ro_after_init. Set this flag to true inside bpf_lsm_init()
when the LSM framework successfully registers the BPF LSM. Gate map
allocation in inode_storage_map_alloc() on this flag, returning
-EOPNOTSUPP if the BPF LSM is in turn uninitialized.
This fail-fast approach prevents userspace from allocating inode
storage maps when the supporting BPF LSM infrastructure is absent,
avoiding zombie map states.
bpf: Reject BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE creation if BPF LSM is uninitialized
When CONFIG_BPF_LSM=y is set, BPF inode storage maps
(BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE) are compiled into the kernel. However,
if the BPF LSM is not explicitly enabled at boot time (e.g. omitted
from the "lsm=" boot parameter), lsm_prepare() is never executed for
the BPF LSM.
Consequently, the BPF inode security blob offset
(bpf_lsm_blob_sizes.lbs_inode) is never initialized and remains at
its default compiled size of 8 bytes instead of being updated to a
valid offset past the reserved struct rcu_head (typically 16 bytes
or more).
When a privileged user creates and updates a BPF_MAP_TYPE_INODE_STORAGE
map, bpf_inode() evaluates inode->i_security + 8. This erroneously
aliases the struct rcu_head.func callback pointer at the beginning
of the inode->i_security blob. During subsequent map element cleanup
or inode destruction, writing NULL to owner_storage clears the queued
RCU callback pointer. When rcu_do_batch() later executes the queued
callback, it attempts an instruction fetch at address 0x0, triggering
an immediate kernel panic.
Fix this by introducing a global bpf_lsm_initialized boolean flag
marked with __ro_after_init. Set this flag to true inside bpf_lsm_init()
when the LSM framework successfully registers the BPF LSM. Gate map
allocation in inode_storage_map_alloc() on this flag, returning
-EOPNOTSUPP if the BPF LSM is in turn uninitialized.
This fail-fast approach prevents userspace from allocating inode
storage maps when the supporting BPF LSM infrastructure is absent,
avoiding zombie map states.
References
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git Product
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a6f0643e4f63cfaa0d5d4a69de4f132eac4b8fe4 URL
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c76b8abce575e0c6e4096957220b4515ed847d89 URL
- https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/64xxx/CVE-2026-64192... Vendor Advisory
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64192 Vendor Advisory
Timeline
Published20 Jul 2026
Updated21 Jul 2026
First seen21 Jul 2026
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