In this vulnerability, the Linux kernel incorrectly schedules work to free kernel page tables while the system is still booting. When a boot‑time function tracer is enabled, the tracer’s trampoline is made read‑only, which triggers a page table collapse. The collapse calls pagetable_free_kernel() that queues work on a workqueue that has not yet been initialized. The resulting null pointer dereference causes a general protection fault and a kernel panic, leading to a boot failure that renders the system unusable until the kernel is fixed.

The flaw resides in the Linux kernel’s memory management code, affecting all kernel versions that contain the buggy sequence. The defect is present in at least the 7.3‑rc4 releases and earlier kernels that use the same page‑table‑free logic before work queues are fully initialized. The affected product is the Linux operating system kernel, which is used by all major distributions that ship the upstream kernel without the patch.

No EPSS score or KEV listing is available, and a CVSS score is not supplied. Because the bug manifests only when boot‑time tracing is enabled, a direct exploitation path would require the attacker to control the kernel boot options or have root privileges to inject a tracer configuration. The resulting denial of service can be used to crash legitimate systems, but no publicly known exploit exists. Administrators should treat this as a moderate risk that could be leveraged to interrupt services.