Vulnerability in Linux
CVE-2026-43326
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched_ext: Fix SCX_KICK_WAIT deadlock by deferring wait to balance callback SCX_KICK_WAIT busy-waits in kick_cpus_irq_workfn() using smp_cond_load_acquire() until the target CPU's kick_sync advances. Because the irq_work runs in hardirq context, the waiting CPU cannot reschedule and its own kick_sync never advances. If multiple CPUs form a wait cycle, all CPUs deadlock. Replace the busy-wait in kick_cpus_irq_workfn() with resched_curr() to force the CPU through do_pick_task_scx(), which queues a balance callback to perform the wait. The balance callback drops the rq lock and enables IRQs following the sched_core_balance() pattern, so the CPU can process IPIs while waiting. The local CPU's kick_sync is advanced on entry to do_pick_task_scx() and continuously during the wait, ensuring any CPU that starts waiting for us sees the advancement and cannot form cyclic dependencies.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.001 (1.2th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 1st percentile — 1.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.001 · change: +0.000
Affected products
- Linux — versions 90e55164dad42c6546b698c031697b224a320834, 6.12, 0
- Linux Kernel — versions 7.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-43326?
- CVE-2026-43326 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Improper Locking. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-05-08.
- How severe is CVE-2026-43326?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.