CVE-2026-46333: Local Root Privilege Escalation and Credential Disclosure in the Linux Kernel ptrace Path
2026-05-21T08:51:54Z•5738057e01dcd5bf85706ef790b9d77279915c1480ec9c8c44c19f2d302f9e5a
CVE-2026-43284CVE-2026-43500CVE-2026-46333Dirty Fragcredential-disclosurekernellinuxlocal-privilege-escalationpatchingptracequalysvulnerability-research
What happened
Qualys Threat Research Unit published an advisory for CVE-2026-46333, a logic flaw in the Linux kernel __ptrace_may_access() path that allows an unprivileged local user to disclose sensitive files and execute arbitrary commands as root on default installations of several major distributions. The feed also highlights a related local privilege escalation chain (“Dirty Frag”) combining two kernel bugs (CVE-2026-43284 — patched in mainline by May 8, 2026 — and CVE-2026-43500), plus broader May 2026 patch coverage and product/security announcements from Qualys. Immediate patching and mitigation are
Why it matters
A reviewed impact interpretation has not been published for this record.
Evidence and limitations
- Source ID
- qualys_blog
- Record identifier
- 5738057e01dcd5bf85706ef790b9d77279915c1480ec9c8c44c19f2d302f9e5a
- Enrichment time
- 2026-05-21T08:51:54Z
- AI-assisted enrichment
- Yes
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