CVERadar
HIGH · CVSS 3.1 7.1Public PoCEPSS 0.97% (p61)Threat level 40

CVE-2026-46333: CVE-2026-46333: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ptrace: slightly sane…

linux · linux kernel · NVD published 2026-05-15 · posted 2026-05-16 · last modified 2026-10-15

What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ptrace: slightly saner 'get_dumpable()' logic The 'dumpability' of a task is fundamentally about the memory image of the task - the concept comes from whether it can core dump or not - and makes no sense when you don't have an associated mm. And almost all users do in fact use it only for the case where the task has a mm pointer. But we have one odd special case: ptrace_may_access() uses 'dumpable' to check various other things entirely independently of the MM (typically explicitly using flags like PTRACE_MODE_READ_FSCREDS). Including for threads that no longer have a VM (and maybe never did, like most kernel threads). It's not what this flag was designed for, but it is what it is. The ptrace code does check that the uid/gid matches, so you do have to be uid-0 to see kernel thread details, but this means that the traditional "drop capabilities" model doesn't make any difference for this all. Make it all make a *bit* more sense by saying that if you don't have a MM pointer, we'll use a cached "last dumpability" flag if the thread ever had a MM (it will be zero for kernel threads since it is never set), and require a proper CAP_SYS_PTRACE capability to override.

WeaknessCWE-269
CVSS vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N (source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)
ATT&CK tacticsPrivilege Escalation

Exploitation evidence

First exploit evidence seen: 2026-05-16 (earliest date across the sources below).

Exploited in the wild

No source on this site lists in-the-wild exploitation yet (CISA KEV, VulnCheck KEV).

Public exploit code

GitHub proof-of-concept repositories

5 public repositories from 5 accounts, first seen 2026-05-16. Most starred: 0xBlackash/CVE-2026-46333 (42 stars), view repository.

Verify before running: public PoCs can be malicious. Read the code and only run it in an isolated lab. A PoC means exploit code is public, not that this CVE is exploited in the wild.

Sources: nomi-sec/PoC-in-GitHub.

How to fix it

Fixed versions

  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 3.17 or later (affected from 3.16.52)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 4.5 or later (affected from 4.4.40)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 4.9 or later (affected from 4.8.16)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 5.10.256 or later (affected from 4.9.1)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 5.15.207 or later (affected from 5.11)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 6.1.173 or later (affected from 5.16)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 6.6.139 or later (affected from 6.2)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 6.12.89 or later (affected from 6.7)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 6.18.31 or later (affected from 6.13)
  • linux linux kernel: upgrade to 7.0.8 or later (affected from 6.19)

Derived from the NVD CPE configuration (versionEndExcluding / versionEndIncluding). Always confirm with the vendor advisory.

Vendor advisories and patches

MITRE ATT&CK mitigations for this chain

  • M1051 Update Software (for T1068) : Update software regularly by employing patch management for internal enterprise endpoints and servers.
  • M1050 Exploit Protection (for T1068) : Security applications that look for behavior used during exploitation such as Windows Defender Exploit Guard (WDEG) and the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) can be used to mitigate some exploitation behavior. Control flow integrity checking is another way to potentially identify and stop a software exploi
  • M1048 Application Isolation and Sandboxing (for T1068) : Make it difficult for adversaries to advance their operation through exploitation of undiscovered or unpatched vulnerabilities by using sandboxing. Other types of virtualization and application microsegmentation may also mitigate the impact of some types of exploitation. Risks of additional exploits and weaknesses in t
  • M1019 Threat Intelligence Program (for T1068) : Develop a robust cyber threat intelligence capability to determine what types and levels of threat may use software exploits and 0-days against a particular organization.
  • M1038 Execution Prevention (for T1068) : Consider blocking the execution of known vulnerable drivers that adversaries may exploit to execute code in kernel mode. Validate driver block rules in audit mode to ensure stability prior to production deployment.

Detection Generic guidance

  • Privilege Escalation: Alert on processes gaining SYSTEM/root unexpectedly, and on exploitation crashes of privileged services.

Response checklist Generic guidance

  1. Inventory: find every instance of the affected product and version (include internet-facing and forgotten ones).
  2. Patch or mitigate per the vendor advisory; if you cannot patch, remove internet exposure or apply the vendor workaround.
  3. Assume compromise if the system was exposed before patching: hunt for the indicators in the advisory and review logs back to the disclosure date.
  4. Rotate credentials and secrets stored on or used by the affected system if compromise cannot be ruled out.

Sources