Kernel privilege escalation in largepage handling affects Linux kernels used broadly; can lead to root compromise and warrants org-wide attention.
CVE-2026-49428
Local kernel use-after-free in largepage handling allows privilege escalation
Is CVE-2026-49428 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-49428 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.29% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-49428?
CVE-2026-49428 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.4. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-49428?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-49428. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-49428 affect?
CVE-2026-49428 affects Linux kernel (largepage support), Major Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, SUSE, etc.). Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-49428?
Apply vendor kernel updates when released; restrict untrusted local access and monitor logs
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Local attacker can trigger a use-after-free to read freed kernel memory and escalate privileges to root/kernel.
Immediate action required
- affected>= 15.1-RELEASE and < p1
- affected>= 15.0-RELEASE and < p11
- affected>= 14.4-RELEASE and < p7
- affected>= 14.3-RELEASE and < p16
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.