A critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel has been identified through artificial intelligence analysis, exposing a flaw that has persisted since 2011. The bug, designated GhostLock and classified as a use-after-free vulnerability, allows any user with system access to escalate their privileges to root administrator level without requiring additional permissions or network connectivity. This flaw has been present by default in essentially every mainstream Linux distribution for fifteen years.

The security patch was released in April, yet its distribution across systems remains inconsistent. Major Linux distributions continue to list several long-term support versions as either vulnerable or still completing patch deployment. The discovery through artificial intelligence-powered security analysis tools highlights their capacity to surface critical flaws that human code reviewers overlooked for decades, suggesting such automated approaches may uncover additional vulnerabilities hidden within legacy kernel implementations.