CVE-2026-64435
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
audit: Fix data races of skb_queue_len() readers on audit_queue
Multiple readers access audit_queue.qlen via skb_queue_len() without
holding the queue lock or using READ_ONCE(), while kauditd writes to
this field via the skb_dequeue() → __skb_unlink() path with WRITE_ONCE()
protected by a spinlock. This constitutes data races.
All affected skb_queue_len(&audit_queue) call sites:
- kauditd_thread() wait_event_freezable() condition
- audit_receive_msg() AUDIT_GET handler (s.backlog assignment)
- audit_receive() backlog check
- audit_log_start() backlog check and pr_warn()
KCSAN reports the following conflicting access pattern (one example):
==================================================================
BUG: KCSAN: data-race in audit_log_start / skb_dequeue
write (marked) to 0xffffffff8512ee20 of 4 bytes by task 661 on cpu 57:
skb_dequeue+0x70/0xf0
kauditd_send_queue+0x71/0x220
kauditd_thread+0x1cb/0x430
kthread+0x1c2/0x210
ret_from_fork+0x162/0x1a0
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
read to 0xffffffff8512ee20 of 4 bytes by task 36586 on cpu 1:
audit_log_start+0x2a0/0x6b0
audit_core_dumps+0x64/0xa0
do_coredump+0x14b/0x1260
get_signal+0xeb2/0xf70
arch_do_signal_or_restart+0x41/0x170
exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xa2/0x1c0
do_syscall_64+0x1a3/0x1c0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0xe0
value changed: 0x00000001 -> 0x00000000
==================================================================
Resolve the race by switching to lockless helper skb_queue_len_lockless(),
which internally uses READ_ONCE() and properly pairs with the WRITE_ONCE()
write accesses already present on the writer side.
[PM: line length tweak]