CVE-2026-74262
HIGHCVE-2026-74262 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in Kernel. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-74262 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
kcm: use WRITE_ONCE() when changing lower socket callbacks
Real-World Exposure
KernelReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Linux packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
kcm: use WRITE_ONCE() when changing lower socket callbacks
kcm_attach() replaces a live lower TCP socket's sk_data_ready and sk_write_space callbacks with KCM handlers, and kcm_unattach() restores them later. Those callback-pointer updates are still plain stores even though the same fields can be read and invoked concurrently on other CPUs.
If another CPU observes an older callback snapshot after the live field has already been restored, callback execution can run with a mismatched target and sk_user_data state, leading to stale or misdirected wakeups.
Use WRITE_ONCE() for the callback replacement and restore operations so these shared callback fields follow the same visibility contract already established by the earlier 4022 fixes.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐧Linux | Kernel | ≥ 4.6.0&&< 5.10.261 | 5.10.261 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for Kernel. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update Kernel to 5.10.261 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-74262 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-74262 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-74262. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-74262 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-74262 across Linux dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.