CVE-2026-99163 (CVSS 7.8)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing/histograms: Reject non-stacktrace fields for synthetic stacktrace fields In check_synth_field(), when a synthetic event field is a stacktrace (field->is_stack) and the histogram field is not a "long[" stacktrace array, validation falls through to the generic size and signedness comparison. Because parse_synth_field() sets a stacktrace field's type to "__data_loc unsigned long[]", its size is sizeof(u64) and synth_field_signed() marks it as signed. Consequently, any 8-byte signed scalar histogram field passes the fallback check, and its scalar value is subsequently dereferenced as a kernel stacktrace pointer in get_field_size() and trace_stack(). Furthermore, checking strstr(hist_field->type, "long[") is insufficient because tracepoint fields defined with __bitmask() or __rel_bitmask() also have type "__data_loc unsigned long[]" or "__rel_loc unsigned long[]", whilst create_hist_field() treats them as 4-byte scalar values without HIST_FIELD_FL_STACKTRACE. Propagate HIST_FIELD_FL_STACKTRACE to variable references and field variables (whilst excluding variable aliases from per-element stacktrace capture), and reject any mismatch between HIST_FIELD_FL_STACKTRACE and field->is_stack in check_synth_field().

Is your site exposed to CVE-2026-99163?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

CVSS v3.1 Score

7.8

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0013

Probability of exploitation

0.03%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

References

Other References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1f36e4ddd05d540f363dbaa4c23042549f15b3ef https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/326c45c9e201e3ff4c9e9e0e14c2c91364d6c8be https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/648687f2b448d8527cd7b112fe5d4bd0fec85a87 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c4e4946febb585d2fc93a02a0cd12cec715bb32 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e0d05a6234a984ac23b8a563fb7f66f2572b668 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a244c241593b5b38a08f0df2cb43c26574efbdcb https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/deb336ae7c7b341591a6862cf6fcfeca97c77dfd https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eba0a6365a0f38f7598a02fc7f9ee341c7efe7f5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-99163? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tracing/histograms: Reject non-stacktrace fields for synthetic stacktrace fields In check_synth_field(), when a synthetic event field is a stacktrace (field->is_stack) and the histogram field is not a "long[" stacktrace array, validation falls through to the generic size and signedness comparison. Because parse_synth_field() sets a stacktrace field's type to "__data_loc unsigned long[]", its size is sizeof(u64) and synth_field_signed() marks it as signed. Consequently, any 8-byte signed scalar histogram field passes the fallback check, and its scalar value is subsequently dereferenced as a kernel stacktrace pointer in get_field_size() and trace_stack(). Furthermore, checking strstr(hist_field->type, "long[") is insufficient because tracepoint fields defined with __bitmask() or __rel_bitmask() also have type "__data_loc unsigned long[]" or "__rel_loc unsigned long[]", whilst create_hist_field() treats them as 4-byte scalar values without HIST_FIELD_FL_STACKTRACE. Propagate HIST_FIELD_FL_STACKTRACE to variable references and field variables (whilst excluding variable aliases from per-element stacktrace capture), and reject any mismatch between HIST_FIELD_FL_STACKTRACE and field->is_stack in check_synth_field(). It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-99163? +

CVE-2026-99163 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0013, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-99163? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

CVE-2026-99163