Description
When the JAIL_AT_DESC flag is specified, kern_jail_set() and kern_jail_get() released the reference to the caller's current prison before looking up the jail descriptor. If the descriptor lookup failed, error-handling paths released the same reference a second time.

An unprivileged local user can trigger a prison reference count underflow, which may cause the prison structure to be freed while still in use. When this is done on the jail host, the bug will generally result in an immediate panic. However, if the user is running in a jail, then it may be possible to exploit the bug to elevate privileges.
Published: 2026-08-19
Score: n/a
EPSS: n/a
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

A reference count underflow in FreeBSD’s jail subsystem allows a local user to cause a prison structure to be freed while still in use, which can trigger a kernel panic on the host and, when the exploit originates from within a jail, can elevate the user’s privileges to those of the host system.

Affected Systems

The vulnerability affects FreeBSD operating systems that implement jails; specific version details are not provided, implying that any release with jail support could be vulnerable.

Risk and Exploitability

The attack vector is local, requiring the ability to run jail commands with the JAIL_AT_DESC flag; no public exploits are known and the EPSS score is unavailable, but the CISA KEV list does not list this flaw, indicating no reported remote exploitation but a potential local escalation risk.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 19, 2026 at 06:25 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Apply the latest FreeBSD security update that addresses the reference count underflow issue.
  • If a patch is not immediately available, avoid using the JAIL_AT_DESC flag in jail configurations to eliminate the race condition.
  • Limit jail creation and management privileges so that only root or specifically authorized users can run jail commands, reducing the attack surface for local users.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 19, 2026 at 06:25 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

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History

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 04:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description When the JAIL_AT_DESC flag is specified, kern_jail_set() and kern_jail_get() released the reference to the caller's current prison before looking up the jail descriptor. If the descriptor lookup failed, error-handling paths released the same reference a second time. An unprivileged local user can trigger a prison reference count underflow, which may cause the prison structure to be freed while still in use. When this is done on the jail host, the bug will generally result in an immediate panic. However, if the user is running in a jail, then it may be possible to exploit the bug to elevate privileges.
Title Jail reference count underflow
Weaknesses CWE-911
References

Subscriptions

No data.

cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: freebsd

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-19T04:32:39.446Z

Reserved: 2026-05-29T20:24:28.616Z

Link: CVE-2026-49419

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-08-19T05:17:04.053

Modified: 2026-08-19T05:17:04.053

Link: CVE-2026-49419

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-19T06:30:05Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-911

    Improper Update of Reference Count