Vulnerability Database

374,574

Total vulnerabilities in the database

CVE-2026-23002 — linux / linux_kernel

NULL Pointer Dereference

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

lib/buildid: use __kernel_read() for sleepable context

Prevent a "BUG: unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference in filemap_read_folio".

For the sleepable context, convert freader to use __kernel_read() instead of direct page cache access via read_cache_folio(). This simplifies the faultable code path by using the standard kernel file reading interface which handles all the complexity of reading file data.

At the moment we are not changing the code for non-sleepable context which uses filemap_get_folio() and only succeeds if the target folios are already in memory and up-to-date. The reason is to keep the patch simple and easier to backport to stable kernels.

Syzbot repro does not crash the kernel anymore and the selftests run successfully.

In the follow up we will make __kernel_read() with IOCB_NOWAIT work for non-sleepable contexts. In addition, I would like to replace the secretmem check with a more generic approach and will add fstest for the buildid code.

  • Published: Jan 25, 2026
  • Updated: Mar 26, 2026
  • CVE: CVE-2026-23002
  • Severity: Medium
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: Medium
  • Score: 5.5
  • AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWEs:

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.