A security researcher has disclosed Dirty Frag, a new Linux kernel exploit that allows local users to gain root privileges. The flaw affects major distributions and remains unpatched on most systems despite earlier fixes for a similar issue.
Hyunwoo Kim, also known as v4bel, reported the threat after submitting details to the linux-distros mailing list under a five-day embargo. An unnamed party released a working exploit the same day, leaving most distributions exposed. Dirty Frag combines two flaws, CVE-2026-43284 and CVE-2026-43500, to modify files in memory without altering them on disk.
