CVE-2026-46172
MediumCVSS 5.5Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Low risk2th percentile - higher than 2% of all known CVEs
Summary
A vulnerability has been identified in the Linux kernel in the xfrm6_rcv_encap() function, which improperly manages references to dst entries in case of errors during IPv6 route lookups. As a result, repeated packets can lead to dst entry leaks.
Risk Assessment
Organizations may face performance and stability issues due to memory leaks associated with improper reference management. This can lead to degraded network service quality.
Recommendation
It is recommended to update the Linux kernel to the latest version where this vulnerability has been fixed to avoid performance and stability issues.
Original NVD description (English source)
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: xfrm6: release dst on error in xfrm6_rcv_encap() xfrm6_rcv_encap() performs an IPv6 route lookup when the skb does not already have a dst attached. ip6_route_input_lookup() returns a referenced dst entry even when the lookup resolves to an error route. If dst->error is set, xfrm6_rcv_encap() drops the skb without attaching the dst to the skb and without releasing the reference returned by the lookup. Repeated packets hitting this path therefore leak dst entries. Release the dst before jumping to the drop path.