Based on the description, it is inferred that the buggy logic can be triggered by workloads that repeatedly call yield. In the Linux kernel’s fair scheduler, the zero_vruntime counter is tracked incorrectly when two tasks that continually yield race to schedule. The evaluator’s analysis shows that the buggy logic can cause one task to be repeatedly given a full timeslice while the other is repeatedly skipped, which may lead to processor starvation or erratic CPU allocation. This defect is a logic error that could overflow the counter locally during a tick, potentially allowing a local user to force undesirable scheduling behavior.

All Linux kernel builds that contain the buggy scheduler code before the fix—specifically the code path introduced in commit b3d99f43c72b—are potentially affected. Systems running a kernel version that does not include this patch, regardless of other configuration, fall into the impacted set.

Based on the description, it is inferred that the likely attack vector is local, involving a process that repeatedly issues yield calls. The CVSS score of 5.5 reflects moderate severity, and the EPSS score of less than 1% suggests a low current exploitation probability. The flaw is likely to be exploited via a local attack with the ability to spawn workload that aggressively yields, such as a user process or a privileged program. It is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Because the problem stems from scheduler logic, remote exploitation is unlikely; however, heavy cgroup isolation may exacerbate the effect if certain groups do not receive timely ticks.