published October 6, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
sched_ext: Close the pre-enable ops error claim window
scx_alloc_and_add_sched() publishes ops->priv before
scx_root_enable_workfn() switches the state to SCX_ENABLING. An error
claimed via scx_bpf_error_bstr() from an associated BPF program in that
window is consumed by scx_disable_workfn(), which takes the pre-enable
shortcut in scx_root_disable(). The shortcut returns without any teardown
and restores SCX_DISABLED with an unconditional scx_set_enable_state() xchg
racing the enable workfn's own transition. The enable then completes with
the claim consumed: the scheduler stays up but can never be disabled again,
and bpf_scx_unreg() frees it while still in use, resulting in a
use-after-free. Both WARN_ON_ONCE()s fire back to back:
WARNING: kernel/sched/ext/ext.c:7522 at
scx_root_enable_workfn+0xeec/0x1be0, CPU#3: scx_enable_help/276
WARNING: kernel/sched/ext/ext.c:6398 at scx_root_disable+0xb50/0xdb8,
CPU#0: sched_ext_helpe/664
scx_root_enable_workfn() switches to SCX_ENABLING before the scheduler
allocation, so ops->priv is never visible while SCX_DISABLED. The allocation
failure path restores SCX_DISABLED.