CVE Catalog

CVE-2026-90109

Low risk· EPSS 11%
Published: Updated: Translated: NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Low risk
0.21%

11th percentile - higher than 11% of all known CVEs

Summary

In the Linux kernel traffic scheduling (net: sched) subsystem, gred_enqueue(), bfifo_enqueue() and plug_enqueue() compute the sum of backlog and packet length in 32 bits. Once the true backlog exceeds 4 GiB the sum wraps and becomes small, so the queue grows without bound and can drive the kernel to OOM. The fix promotes the sums to u64.

Risk Assessment

This can lead to unbounded queue growth and memory exhaustion (OOM), causing denial of service. It requires root privileges and a specific qdisc configuration.

Recommendation

Update the Linux kernel to a version with the fix. Avoid configuring gred, bfifo or plug qdiscs with a limit near 4 GiB.

Related vulnerabilities

Original NVD description (English source)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: sched: fix 32-bit backlog wrap in gred, bfifo and plug enqueue gred_enqueue(), bfifo_enqueue() and plug_enqueue() admit a packet when the current backlog plus the packet length fits within the queue limit: sch->qstats.backlog + qdisc_pkt_len(skb) <= sch->limit (gred default VQ) gred_backlog+qdisc_pkt_len(skb) <= q->limit (gred configured VQ) sch->qstats.backlog + qdisc_pkt_len(skb) <= sch->limit (bfifo) sch->qstats.backlog + skb->len <= q->limit (plug) sch->qstats.backlog and q->backlog are u32, and qdisc_pkt_len()/skb->len are unsigned int, so all sums are computed in 32 bits and wrap at 2^32. Once the true backlog exceeds 4 GiB the wrapped sum becomes small and admission keeps succeeding, so the queue grows without bound and the kernel can be driven to OOM. Promote the sums to u64 so admission stops once the true backlog exceeds the limit. The limit is u32, so the bounded queue stays below 2^32 and the stored u32 backlog never wraps. The bug can only be reproduced as root (albeit with ridiculous setup): attach a gred (or bfifo/plug) qdisc with a limit near 4 GiB, leaving the default VQ unconfigured (for gred), and drive >4 GiB of queued traffic (e.g. via a size table / stab to inflate qdisc_pkt_len, or sustained high-rate traffic). The u32 backlog+len sum wraps at 2^32, admission keeps succeeding, and the queue grows unboundedly to OOM.

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