CVE-2026-74632: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/huge_memory: fix huge_zero_pfn race Patch series "mm/huge_memory: fix huge_zero

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/huge_memory: fix huge_zero_pfn race Patch series "mm/huge_memory: fix huge_zero_pfn rac

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/huge_memory: fix huge_zero_pfn race Patch series "mm/huge_memory: fix huge_zero_pfn race", v2. There is a subtle race in the reference-counted huge_zero_folio implementation. The fast path atomic logic fails to account for the fact that the shrinker (which drops the final huge_zero_refcount pin) can overwrite huge_zero_pfn with the ~0UL sentinel value in shrink_huge_zero_folio_scan() after a racing get_huge_zero_folio() installed a valid value there. This results in huge_zero_folio being correctly set but huge_zero_pfn being set incorrectly and thus is_huge_zero_pfn() and consequently is_huge_zero_pmd() will misidentify the huge zero folio as being an ordinary THP folio. This can result in the huge zero folio being split and otherwise treated incorrectly. The solution to this is very subtle as there is an atomic fast path, and thus ordering in weakly ordered architectures has to be treated very carefully. The first commit fixes the issue by introducing a spinlock around huge_zero_[pfn, folio, refcount] write, with careful consideration paid to load/store ordering in the fast path. It is placed first and

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.13%, higher than 2% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

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Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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