A double free occurs within the AppArmor subsystem of the Linux kernel when the namespace name pointer is duplicated and subsequently freed twice. This memory management flaw can corrupt kernel memory, potentially leading to a kernel crash or, if exploited, privilege escalation. The weakness is classified as CWE‑1341, indicating an unmatched deallocation error. The CVSS score of 7.8 denotes a high severity.

All installations of the Linux kernel that include the AppArmor module and run versions prior to the patch commit are affected. The CPE list indicates linux:linux_kernel, so every distribution using an older kernel version that has not incorporated the fix is vulnerable. No specific vendor or version numbers are listed, so systems should treat any kernel version before the commit as vulnerable.

The EPSS score is below 1 %, suggesting a low probability that an exploit will appear in the near term. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, indicating no known public exploits. The attack vector is likely local, requiring the attacker to have code execution with kernel privileges or to exploit a local exploit that can run within the kernel. If successful, the attacker could cause a denial‑of‑service or elevate privileges. Due to the high CVSS score, the risk to systems that have not applied the patch remains significant.