CVE-2026-74731
CVE-2026-74731 is a security vulnerability in Kernel. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-74731 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
sched_ext: Skip sub-disable teardown for never-linked sub-schedulers
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:
sched_ext: Skip sub-disable teardown for never-linked sub-schedulers
A sub-scheduler enable can fail before scx_link_sched() links the sched into the hierarchy, e.g. when the parent is already being disabled, and cleanup still runs the full scx_sub_disable().
That is racy against root disable: drain_descendants() is the only ordering between a sub's disable-time task walk and root disable's all-task teardown, and an unlinked sub is invisible to it. Root's teardown can thus run between the never-linked sub's drain and its walk, exiting every task to no scheduler.
The walk then trips the membership WARN and re-homes the exited tasks onto the dying hierarchy, a use-after-free.
Skip the cgroup ownership reset and the task walk if @sch was never linked, indicated by the empty ->sibling as unlinking only happens later in the same function. The membership WARN remains valid: a linked sub is always waited on by an ancestor's drain.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐧Linux | Kernel | ≥ 7.1.0&&< 7.1.9 | 7.1.9 |
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 7.1.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-74731 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-2026-74731 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-2026-74731. 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-2026-74731 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-74731 across Linux dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.