Executive brief
A technical issue in the Linux kernel for RISC-V processors could cause a system warning or instability when the system attempts to generate a 'core dump' (a file recorded when a program crashes). While primarily a stability concern, it affects how the system handles process failures and debugging information. This issue has been resolved in recent kernel updates.
Technical details
A vulnerability in arch/riscv/kernel/ptrace.c was identified where REGSET_CFI incorrectly used .core_note_type instead of the USER_REGSET_NOTE_TYPE macro. This caused a missing note name in the ELF core dump process, leading to a kernel WARNING at fs/binfmt_elf.c during core dumping. The issue is specific to RISC-V systems with CONFIG_RISCV_USER_CFI enabled. An attacker or a crashing process could trigger this warning by forcing a core dump, potentially leading to system log flooding or minor instability. The fix replaces the manual assignment with the proper macro to ensure the note name is correctly populated.
Affected products
- Linux Linux 7.0, 7.1
Timeline
- 2026-05-22: disclosed: Initial patch authored
- 2026-06-19: patched: Patch committed to stable tree
- 2026-07-01: advisory: CVE published