CVE-2026-43385

CVE-2026-43385 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: Fix rcu_tasks stall in threaded busypoll I was debugging a NIC driver when I noticed that when I enable threaded busypoll, bpftrace hangs when starting up. dmesg showed: rcu_tasks_wait_gp: rcu_tasks grace period number 85 (since boot) is 10658 jiffies old. rcu_tasks_wait_gp: rcu_tasks grace period number 85 (since boot) is 40793 jiffies old. rcu_tasks_wait_gp: rcu_tasks grace period number 85 (since boot) is 131273 jiffies old. rcu_tasks_wait_gp: rcu_tasks grace period number 85 (since boot) is 402058 jiffies old. INFO: rcu_tasks detected stalls on tasks: 00000000769f52cd: .N nvcsw: 2/2 holdout: 1 idle_cpu: -1/64 task:napi/eth2-8265 state:R running task stack:0 pid:48300 tgid:48300 ppid:2 task_flags:0x208040 flags:0x00004000 Call Trace: <TASK> ? napi_threaded_poll_loop+0x27c/0x2c0 ? __pfx_napi_threaded_poll+0x10/0x10 ? napi_threaded_poll+0x26/0x80 ? kthread+0xfa/0x240 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ? ret_from_fork+0x31/0x50 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ? ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 </TASK> The cause is that in threaded busypoll, the main loop is in napi_threaded_poll rather than napi_threaded_poll_loop, where the latter rarely iterates more than once within its loop. For rcu_softirq_qs_periodic inside napi_threaded_poll_loop to report its qs state, the last_qs must be 100ms behind, and this can't happen because napi_threaded_poll_loop rarely iterates in threaded busypoll, and each time napi_threaded_poll_loop is called last_qs is reset to latest jiffies. This patch changes so that in threaded busypoll, last_qs is saved in the outer napi_threaded_poll, and whether busy_poll_last_qs is NULL indicates whether napi_threaded_poll_loop is called for busypoll. This way last_qs would not reset to latest jiffies on each invocation of napi_threaded_poll_loop.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-43385?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: Fix rcu_tasks stall in threaded busypoll I was debugging a NIC driver when I noticed that when I enable threaded busypoll, bpftrace hangs when starting up. dmesg showed: rcu_tasks_wait_gp: rcu_tasks grace period number 85 (since boot) is 10658 jiffies old. rcu_tasks_wait_gp: rcu_tasks grace period number 85 (since boot) is 40793 jiffies old. rcu_tasks_wait_gp: rcu_tasks grace period number 85 (since boot) is 131273 jiffies old. rcu_tasks_wait_gp: rcu_tasks grace period number 85 (since boot) is 402058 jiffies old. INFO: rcu_tasks detected stalls on tasks: 00000000769f52cd: .N nvcsw: 2/2 holdout: 1 idle_cpu: -1/64 task:napi/eth2-8265 state:R running task stack:0 pid:48300 tgid:48300 ppid:2 task_flags:0x208040 flags:0x00004000 Call Trace: <TASK> ? napi_threaded_poll_loop+0x27c/0x2c0 ? __pfx_napi_threaded_poll+0x10/0x10 ? napi_threaded_poll+0x26/0x80 ? kthread+0xfa/0x240 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ? ret_from_fork+0x31/0x50 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ? ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 </TASK> The cause is that in threaded busypoll, the main loop is in napi_threaded_poll rather than napi_threaded_poll_loop, where the latter rarely iterates more than once within its loop. For rcu_softirq_qs_periodic inside napi_threaded_poll_loop to report its qs state, the last_qs must be 100ms behind, and this can't happen because napi_threaded_poll_loop rarely iterates in threaded busypoll, and each time napi_threaded_poll_loop is called last_qs is reset to latest jiffies. This patch changes so that in threaded busypoll, last_qs is saved in the outer napi_threaded_poll, and whether busy_poll_last_qs is NULL indicates whether napi_threaded_poll_loop is called for busypoll. This way last_qs would not reset to latest jiffies on each invocation of napi_threaded_poll_loop.
How severe is CVE-2026-43385?
CVE-2026-43385 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2026-43385 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (26th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-43385?
CVE-2026-43385 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-43385?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2026-43385 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2026-43385 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-28691.
When was CVE-2026-43385 published?
CVE-2026-43385 was published on 2026-05-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

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