Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

tracing: Undo the registration when enabling the histogram trigger fails

Commit 6f86bdeab633 ("tracing: Fix bad hist from corrupting named_triggers
list") described how a trigger that is registered but not on file->triggers
ends up freed while still on the global named_triggers list, and moved the
registration down so that hist_trigger_enable() follows it immediately. One
path still gets there. hist_trigger_enable() adds the trigger and takes it
straight back out when the event cannot be enabled:

list_add_tail_rcu(&data->list, &file->triggers);

update_cond_flag(file);

if (trace_event_trigger_enable_disable(file, 1) < 0) {
list_del_rcu(&data->list);
update_cond_flag(file);
ret--;
}

so the list walk in hist_unregister_trigger() matches nothing, test stays
NULL, and the ->free() that would call del_named_trigger() is skipped.
out_unreg falls through to out_free, which frees the trigger anyway:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in find_named_trigger+0xac/0xc0
Read of size 8 at addr ffff8880091d3160 by task init/1
find_named_trigger+0xac/0xc0
hist_register_trigger+0xc1/0xa00
event_hist_trigger_parse+0x3146/0x6af0
event_trigger_write+0xce/0x160
Freed by task 69:
kfree+0x154/0x420
trigger_kthread_fn+0xfd/0x160

Leave the trigger where hist_unregister_trigger() can find it and let that
undo the registration, which is the only code that knows all of what
cmd_ops->init() took: the named list entry, the hist_pad reference, the
reference on the trigger a named histogram is shared with, and the copied
cmd_ops. It also pairs the failed trace_event_trigger_enable_disable(),
whose sm_ref and buffered event reference are otherwise left behind.

Since ->free() releases trigger_data and, for a trigger that does not share
its histogram, hist_data with it, out_unreg can no longer fall through to
out_free. For a trigger that does share, hist_register_trigger() has
already destroyed the caller's hist_data, so the fall-through was reading
freed memory there as well.

Move the enable_timestamps check in hist_unregister_trigger() above the
->free() call for the same reason: hist_data does not outlive it once the
trigger being removed is the one that owns it.
Published: 2026-09-25
Score: n/a
EPSS: n/a
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
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History

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing: Undo the registration when enabling the histogram trigger fails Commit 6f86bdeab633 ("tracing: Fix bad hist from corrupting named_triggers list") described how a trigger that is registered but not on file->triggers ends up freed while still on the global named_triggers list, and moved the registration down so that hist_trigger_enable() follows it immediately. One path still gets there. hist_trigger_enable() adds the trigger and takes it straight back out when the event cannot be enabled: list_add_tail_rcu(&data->list, &file->triggers); update_cond_flag(file); if (trace_event_trigger_enable_disable(file, 1) < 0) { list_del_rcu(&data->list); update_cond_flag(file); ret--; } so the list walk in hist_unregister_trigger() matches nothing, test stays NULL, and the ->free() that would call del_named_trigger() is skipped. out_unreg falls through to out_free, which frees the trigger anyway: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in find_named_trigger+0xac/0xc0 Read of size 8 at addr ffff8880091d3160 by task init/1 find_named_trigger+0xac/0xc0 hist_register_trigger+0xc1/0xa00 event_hist_trigger_parse+0x3146/0x6af0 event_trigger_write+0xce/0x160 Freed by task 69: kfree+0x154/0x420 trigger_kthread_fn+0xfd/0x160 Leave the trigger where hist_unregister_trigger() can find it and let that undo the registration, which is the only code that knows all of what cmd_ops->init() took: the named list entry, the hist_pad reference, the reference on the trigger a named histogram is shared with, and the copied cmd_ops. It also pairs the failed trace_event_trigger_enable_disable(), whose sm_ref and buffered event reference are otherwise left behind. Since ->free() releases trigger_data and, for a trigger that does not share its histogram, hist_data with it, out_unreg can no longer fall through to out_free. For a trigger that does share, hist_register_trigger() has already destroyed the caller's hist_data, so the fall-through was reading freed memory there as well. Move the enable_timestamps check in hist_unregister_trigger() above the ->free() call for the same reason: hist_data does not outlive it once the trigger being removed is the one that owns it.
Title tracing: Undo the registration when enabling the histogram trigger fails
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References

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Linux Linux Kernel
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-25T10:22:39.162Z

Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:18:58.202Z

Link: CVE-2026-97918

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-09-25T11:17:18.807

Modified: 2026-09-25T11:17:18.807

Link: CVE-2026-97918

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.

Weaknesses

No weakness.