The flaw is a race condition in the Linux kernel’s proc subsystem that allows a local process to manipulate the lookup of a task and bypass the standard ptrace access check when accessing /proc entries. Because the kernel performs two separate task lookups around the ptrace permission test, an attacker can time the operations so that the second lookup resolves to a different task, effectively granting read or control over privileged processes. The weakness is identified as CWE‑367. This flaw enables an attacker to read sensitive information or surreptitiously control processes that normally would be protected, thereby escalating privileges on the host.

All Linux kernel builds that have not yet incorporated the commit holding the race mitigation are vulnerable. The vulnerability is present in the proc subsystem regardless of distribution or architecture; any system that runs an unpatched kernel until the patch is applied is at risk.

The base CVSS score of 7.8 reflects a high severity due to the potential for privilege escalation. The EPSS score of <1% indicates that the probability of exploitation is currently very low and that no public exploits are known, as evidenced by the absence of the CVE from the CISA KEV catalog. The attack vector is local, requiring a process on the same host to orchestrate a precise timing attack around syscalls that traverse the /proc file system. Exploit complexity is high because an attacker must coordinate two separate syscall invocations to force a task misresolution. Although the likelihood of widespread exploitation is low at present, systems that permit local users unaffiliated privilege can be considered moderate to high risk until the kernel is updated.