CVE-2026-46333: Local Root Privilege Escalation and Credential Disclosure in the Linux Kernel ptrace Path

Qualys published multiple security advisories and product updates. The headline vulnerability is 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 installs of several major distributions. Qualys also discussed the Dirty Frag local privilege escalation chain (references to CVE-2026-43284 — patched in mainline — and CVE-2026-43500), and summarized May 2026 Patch Tuesday (137 Microsoft vulnerabilities including 30 critical). Additional posts cover FedRAMP/