CVE Catalog

CVE-2026-52981

HighCVSS 7.5
Published: Updated: Translated: NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Low risk
0.54%

42th percentile - higher than 42% of all known CVEs

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the neigh_xmit function leaks an skb when called with an uninitialized neighbor table (e.g., NEIGH_ND_TABLE with IPv6 disabled). The function did not free the packet in that case, and its return value was ignored by callers like MPLS. The fix ensures full skb ownership and removes the last code path that neither transmits nor frees the packet.

Risk Assessment

Memory leak can lead to resource exhaustion and potential denial of service (DoS) if the function is repeatedly called with an unsupported neighbor table.

Recommendation

Immediately update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix (commit resolving the issue). Monitor patch availability for your distribution and apply it as part of the regular security update cycle.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

See all
Original NVD description (English source)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: neigh: let neigh_xmit take skb ownership neigh_xmit always releases the skb, except when no neighbour table is found. But even the first added user of neigh_xmit (mpls) relied on neigh_xmit to release the skb (or queue it for tx). sashiko reported: If neigh_xmit() is called with an uninitialized neighbor table (for example, NEIGH_ND_TABLE when IPv6 is disabled), it returns -EAFNOSUPPORT and bypasses its internal out_kfree_skb error path. Because the return value of neigh_xmit() is ignored here, does this leak the SKB? Assume full ownership and remove the last code path that doesn't xmit or free skb.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS