CVE-2026-23268

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: apparmor: fix unprivileged local user can do privileged policy management An unprivileged local user can load, replace, and remove profiles by opening the apparmorfs interfaces, via a confused deputy attack, by passing the opened fd to a privileged process, and getting the privileged process to write to the interface. This does require a privileged target that can be manipulated to do the write for the unprivileged process, but once such access is achieved full policy management is possible and all the possible implications that implies: removing confinement, DoS of system or target applications by denying all execution, by-passing the unprivileged user namespace restriction, to exploiting kernel bugs for a local privilege escalation. The policy management interface can not have its permissions simply changed from 0666 to 0600 because non-root processes need to be able to load policy to different policy namespaces. Instead ensure the task writing the interface has privileges that are a subset of the task that opened the interface. This is already done via policy for confined processes, but unconfined can delegate access to the opened fd, by-passing the usual policy check.

From the Ubuntu Security Team

Qualys discovered that several vulnerabilities existed in the AppArmor Linux kernel Security Module (LSM). An unprivileged local attacker could use these issues to load, replace, and remove arbitrary AppArmor profiles causing denial of service, exposure of sensitive information (kernel memory), local privilege escalation, or possibly escape a container.

Why is this CVE high priority?

Local privilege escalation (LPE) via a confused deputy attack

Learn more about Ubuntu priority

• How can I get the fixes?
• What do statuses mean?
• Patch details

Get expanded security coverage with Ubuntu Pro

Reduce your average CVE exposure time from 98 days to 1 day with expanded CVE patching, ten-years security maintenance and optional support for the full stack of open-source applications. Free for personal use.

Patch details

References

• MITRE
• NVD
• Launchpad
• Debian

Other references

• https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-23268
• https://ubuntu.com/blog/apparmor-vulnerability-fixes-available
• https://ubuntu.com/security/vulnerabilities/crackarmor
• https://cdn2.qualys.com/advisory/2026/03/10/crack-armor.txt