Linux kernel: Mount namespace flaw allows MNT_UMOUNT flag inheritance in clone_mnt()
Summary
A flaw in the Linux kernel mount code lets a mount that was lazily unmounted but kept alive by a file descriptor be copied with the MNT_UMOUNT flag still set, when its root is an nsfs or pidfs file. The copied mount can then be wrongly detached, leaked, or treated as unmounted during propagated unmounts, which can corrupt mount namespace state. A local user with low privileges can trigger this, which can lead to high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability.
Affected
- Linux kernel versions from 4.1 onward (introduced by commit 590ce4b, affected range depends on stable branch)
- Exact affected ranges are listed in the CVE record and OSV; unaffected: 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, 7.2.11 and later stable releases of these branches
- Distribution kernels may differ; check your distro advisory
Fixed in
- Upstream fix commits: 5077b52e, 99698cfa, b201d59d, c26c1a91, de098fb4, e2c6d326, eecc9cd0, fc1f3a47
- Fixed stable releases: 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, 7.2.11
- Unknown: exact fixed kernel version for each distribution kernel
Workaround
- Unknown. No vendor workaround documented.
- Until patched, limit who can create mounts or namespaces on shared hosts.
Exploitation
- No known exploitation in the wild.
- No CISA KEV listing and no public proof of concept found.
- EPSS was very low (0.00175) at the time of the snapshot.
Our recommendation
- Update the Linux kernel through your distribution's security channel to a fixed version and reboot.
- Prioritise multi-user Linux servers, shared application hosts and container hosts.
- Check whether unprivileged users can create mounts or namespaces on your distribution.
- Monitor for unusual mount activity and review the distribution advisory for your kernel.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Linux kernel stable commit 5077b52e git.kernel.org
- Linux kernel stable commit 99698cfa git.kernel.org
- Linux kernel stable commit b201d59d git.kernel.org
- Linux kernel stable commit c26c1a91 git.kernel.org
- Linux kernel stable commit de098fb4 git.kernel.org
- Linux kernel stable commit e2c6d326 git.kernel.org
- Linux kernel stable commit eecc9cd0 git.kernel.org
- Linux kernel stable commit fc1f3a47 git.kernel.org
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 22:33.
Original description (NVD)
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt() MNT_UMOUNT gets raised on a mount that umount_tree() or umount_one() has taken out of its namespace. It's never cleared. __detach_mounts() unhooks a mount that carries it instead of unmounting it. disconnect_mount() lets an unmounted child stay attached only if its parent carries it. propagate_umount() takes it as the sign that a mount is going to be unmounted when it decides what else can be unmounted, where a chain of locked mounts ends and where a for reparenting an overmount. clone_mnt() copies the flags of the source and only masks MNT_INTERNAL_FLAGS which doesn't include MNT_UMOUNT. A mount that was lazily unmounted but is kept alive by a file descriptor can still be copied when its root is an nsfs or pidfs file because may_copy_tree() accepts those before checking whether the source is mounted at all: mount --bind /proc/self/ns/net /tmp/x exec 3< /tmp/x umount -l /tmp/x mount --bind /proc/self/fd/3 /tmp/y The mount on /tmp/y is attached to the caller's namespace with MNT_UMOUNT already set and every copy of it inherits the flag again. That causes a number of bugs: - Unlink its mountpoint from a mount namespace where it isn't one. __detach_mounts() takes it for a mount that was unmounted earlier, unhooks it from its parent and drops the reference the namespace holds on it. It stays in the namespace with one reference too few and as its own parent, so it can't be unmounted through the file descriptor anymore and the namespace never finds it again. When the namespace goes away it's leaked and points to a freed struct mnt_namespace that may_change_propagation() and anon_ns_root() read on the next propagation change or mount_setattr() through the file descriptor. - Make it shared and unmount a peer. trace_transfers() follows the flag from the peer into it and strips it from its peer group. - Let a propagated umount reach it. gather_candidates() marks it with T_UMOUNT_CANDIDATE but never puts it on the candidate list, so the mark is never cleared and every later propagated umount skips it. If it's the parent of a locked mount handle_locked() takes it as the cutoff and commits the locked child that should have stayed and disconnect_mount() leaves that child attached to it, unmounted under a mounted parent, which is what disconnect_mount() exists to prevent. When the namespace goes away umount_tree() visits the child a second time. And once __detach_mounts() has made it its own parent reparent() never finds the end of the chain of unmounted parents. A clone is a new mount that has never been unmounted. Add MNT_UMOUNT to MNT_INTERNAL_FLAGS so clone_mnt() never copies it. And warn when umount_tree() reaches a mount that already has it set.
NVD references (8)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5077b52e9e4d72da53c50251296b99cd416765a1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/99698cfa34e493fc091219056aae446fe9442a96
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b201d59d047a5e05728c10864a56bdb67950d0b1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c26c1a91ad2881a194f7af543e0b57f0870006b2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/de098fb4594f8724fa286f08c7f42837bc19b478
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2c6d326216642011da318b9edfd5d57ebd5a56f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eecc9cd0fc07dba3f7fb0b2f844b4029435a2f7b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fc1f3a476c35164c1beed7090fc0e630f52d778e
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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