🛡️ CVE-2026-43404 — kernel
Description
mm: Fix a hmm_range_fault() livelock / starvation problem
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm: Fix a hmm_range_fault() livelock / starvation problem
If hmm_range_fault() fails a folio_trylock() in do_swap_page,
trying to acquire the lock of a device-private folio for migration,
to ram, the function will spin until it succeeds grabbing the lock.
However, if the process holding the lock is depending on a work
item to be completed, which is scheduled on the same CPU as the
spinning hmm_range_fault(), that work item might be starved and
we end up in a livelock / starvation situation which is never
resolved.
This can happen, for example if the process holding the
device-private folio lock is stuck in
migrate_device_unmap()->lru_add_drain_all()
sinc lru_add_drain_all() requires a short work-item
to be run on all online cpus to complete.
A prerequisite for this to happen is:
a) Both zone device and system memory folios are considered in
migrate_device_unmap(), so that there is a reason to call
lru_add_drain_all() for a system memory folio while a
folio lock is held on a zone device folio.
b) The zone device folio has an initial mapcount > 1 which causes
at least one migration PTE entry insertion to be deferred to
try_to_migrate(), which can happen after the call to
lru_add_drain_all().
c) No or voluntary only preemption.
This all seems pretty unlikely to happen, but indeed is hit by
the "xe_exec_system_allocator" igt test.
Resolve this by waiting for the folio to be unlocked if the
folio_trylock() fails in do_swap_page().
Rename migration_entry_wait_on_locked() to
softleaf_entry_wait_unlock() and update its documentation to
indicate the new use-case.
Future code improvements might consider moving
the lru_add_drain_all() call in migrate_device_unmap() to be
called *after* all pages have migration entries inserted.
That would eliminate also b) above.
v2:
- Instead of a cond_resched() in hmm_range_fault(),
eliminate the problem by waiting for the folio to be unlocked
in do_swap_page() (Alistair Popple, Andrew Morton)
v3:
- Add a stub migration_entry_wait_on_locked() for the
!CONFIG_MIGRATION case. (Kernel Test Robot)
v4:
- Rename migrate_entry_wait_on_locked() to
softleaf_entry_wait_on_locked() and update docs (Alistair Popple)
v5:
- Add a WARN_ON_ONCE() for the !CONFIG_MIGRATION
version of softleaf_entry_wait_on_locked().
- Modify wording around function names in the commit message
(Andrew Morton)
(cherry picked from commit a69d1ab971a624c6f112cea61536569d579c3215)
How this vulnerability can be exploited
This issue can be reached with local access to the system, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs low-level privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality none, integrity none, availability high.
Affected software
CVE-2026-43404 is recorded against 3 packages.
- kernel (from 6.19.0 up to 6.19.9)
- linux-kernel
- unknown
Timeline and source
Published on 8 May 2026 and last revised on 15 July 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. A vendor advisory or fix has been published. Record sourced from NVD.
References
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
github.com (Advisory)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
git.kernel.org (Package)
CVE-2026-43404 on other distributions
Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:
Details
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Affected Packages
| Software | From version | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| kernel | 6.19.0 | 6.19.9 |
| linux-kernel | — | — |
| unknown | — | — |
References
Similar Threats
- Unknown ALBA-2026:39332
- Unknown ALSA-2023:1703
- Unknown ALSA-2023:1566
- Unknown ALSA-2023:1470
- Unknown ALSA-2023:0951
More CVE 2026 advisories
Browse all of CVE 2026 in the advisory index.
Vulnerability Monitoring
Track new vulnerabilities in kernel
CVE-2026-43404 is rated CVSS 5.5 Medium. BotEraser monitors your WordPress installation and notifies you when software you use appears in our vulnerability database.
Set Up Free Alerts →No credit card required · Results in minutes
ⓘ Data Notice: The information presented above has been compiled from publicly available internet sources. Boteraser aggregates this data solely for informational purposes and does not independently classify, evaluate, or endorse any findings about the vulnerabilities listed. The accuracy and completeness of this information is the sole responsibility of the original publishers. Boteraser and its operators accept no liability for any decisions made based on this data.