Pinned: New Linux "pedit COW" Privilege Escalation Exploit Published Security researcher Massimiliano Oldani has released a public proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit, packet_edit_meme, for the Linux kernel vulnerability CVE-2026-46331, nicknamed pedit COW. * The flaw resides in Linux's net/sched act_pedit traffic control subsystem and allows an unprivileged local user to escalate privileges to root by corrupting shared page-cache memory.
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New Linux "pedit COW" Privilege Escalation Exploit Published Security researcher Massimiliano Oldani has released a public proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit, packet_edit_meme, for the Linux kernel vulnerability CVE-2026-46331, nicknamed pedit COW. The flaw resides in Linux's net/sched act_pedit traffic control subsystem and allows an unprivileged local user to escalate privileges to root by corrupting shared page-cache memory. Public exploit code became available shortly after the CVE was assigned. oai_citation:0‡The Hacker News The exploit abuses an out-of-bounds write caused by incorrect Copy-on-Write (COW) handling. By poisoning the page cache, attackers can modify cached privileged binaries in memory without directly altering the files on disk, making detection more challenging. oai_citation:1‡The Hacker News The PoC repository: github.com/sgkdev/packet_edi… Affected systems include numerous modern Linux distributions running vulnerable kernels. Multiple vendors, including Red Hat, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, and CloudLinux, have already released or are rolling out patched kernels. oai_citation:2‡TuxCare Recommended actions: Apply vendor kernel updates immediately and reboot where required. Restrict unprivileged user namespaces where operationally feasible. Monitor for unusual use of tc and unshare, which are commonly leveraged during exploitation. Review systems for unexpected privilege escalation activity. oai_citation:3‡blog.cloudlinux.com Analyst Note: While this is not a remote code execution vulnerability, any environment where attackers can obtain local code execution (e.g., compromised web servers, containers, shared hosting, or developer workstations) should treat CVE-2026-46331 as a high-priority patch due to the availability of a reliable public exploit. #DDW #Intelligence #DarkWeb #Linux
