CVE-2026-52933: io_uring/poll: fix signed comparison in io_poll_get_ownership()

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-52933 is a high (CVSS 7.8) Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.15% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 4% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 24-06-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 19-10-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io_uring/poll: fix signed comparison in io_poll_get_ownership() io_poll_get_ownership() uses a signed comparison to check whether poll_refs has reached the threshold for the slowpath: if (unlikely(atomic_read(&req->poll_refs) >= IO_POLL_REF_BIAS)) atomic_read() returns int (signed). When IO_POLL_CANCEL_FLAG (BIT(31)) is set in poll_refs, the value becomes negative in signed arithmetic, so the >= 128 comparison always evaluates to false and the slowpath is never taken. Fix this by casting the atomic_read() result to unsigned int before the comparison, so that the cancel flag is treated as a large positive value and correctly triggers the slowpath.

• CWE-835Loop with Unreachable Exit ConditionThe product contains an iteration or loop with an exit condition that cannot be reached, i.e., an infinite loop.
• CWE-190Integer Overflow or WraparoundThe product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.