CVE-2026-43499
CVSS 7.8 HIGH: in the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rtmutex: Use waiter::task instead of current in… EPSS 0.8% (54th percentile).
Vulnerabilities · 67 days ago
A local Linux bug is now a host-compromise problem, not just a kernel patch item. GhostLock lets an unprivileged user take root on machines that still ship the vulnerable futex code, and Nebula has already shown it can also jump out of containers, so a low-privilege foothold can cross the boundary operators usually trust.
The flaw is a 15-year-old use-after-free in Linux futex cleanup code. Nebula says its exploit is 97% reliable, works without special permissions or network access, and has been published with working code; the bug has existed since 2011 and affects essentially every mainstream distribution that carried the code by default.
The practical risk is broader than one CVE on one host. Any shared Linux system, container platform, or Android-derived environment running the vulnerable kernel now has an isolation break at the kernel layer, and patching has to be treated as host containment, not just routine hardening.
CVSS 7.8 HIGH: in the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rtmutex: Use waiter::task instead of current in… EPSS 0.8% (54th percentile).
2 sources covering this story
15-Year-Old Linux Vulnerability ‘GhostLock’ Earns Researchers $92k From Google
Affecting every major distribution since 2011, the Linux kernel vulnerability allows attackers to gain root access.
15-Year-Old GhostLock Flaw Enables Root and Container Escape on Most Linux Distros
GhostLock (CVE-2026-43499), a 15-year-old use-after-free in Linux's futex code, gives any local user root.
Part of the PlainSec briefing for 2026-07-09