CVE-2026-98104
Low risk· EPSS 10%Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Low risk10th percentile - higher than 10% of all known CVEs
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the cls_u32 (net/sched) module has a flaw where gen_new_kid() returns max (htid | 0xFFF) when the ID pool is exhausted instead of reporting an error. This causes u32_change() to insert a new knode with a handle already live in the hash table, breaking handle uniqueness. A similar silent failure exists in gen_new_htid(), which returns 0 when the tp_c handle pool is full, causing root hash tables with handle 0 to alias.
Risk Assessment
This can lead to duplicate handles, removal of reservations for live knodes, and unpredictable u32 filter behavior, including cross-tcf_proto conflicts. Exploitation requires local CAP_NET_ADMIN in a namespace (unshare -Urn), increasing risk in containerized environments.
Recommendation
Update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix that returns ENOSPC/ENOMEM when the node ID or hash table ID space is exhausted. Until patched, restrict unprivileged network namespace creation (unshare -Urn) and limit the number of u32 filters with auto-generated handles.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel (net/sched cls_u32)
Original NVD description (English source)
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: cls_u32: fix duplicate handle when node ID pool is exhausted gen_new_kid() falls back to returning max (htid | 0xFFF) when both idr_alloc_u32() ranges are full, instead of reporting an error. u32_change() trusts that value and inserts a new knode with a handle that is already live in the hash table, breaking handle uniqueness within the table's node ID space. The handle was never reserved in ht->handle_idr, so every later error path that does idr_remove(&ht->handle_idr, handle) removes the reservation of a different, live knode, which is then reused — one failed add compounds into further duplicates. The 4095 limit is per (table, bucket) — ht->handle_idr is per hash table and the range is derived from htid (bucketid), so a table with divisor 256 can legitimately hold 256*4095 knodes. The sibling helper gen_new_htid() has the same silent in-band failure: it returns 0 when the tp_c handle pool (1..0x7FF) is full, and u32_init() publishes the root hash table with handle 0 without checking. Two root tables with handle 0 alias in u32_lookup_ht(), allowing cross-tcf_proto knode add/lookup/delete. Add the same exhaustion check that the divisor path already has. Return an error so u32_change() fails with ENOSPC/ENOMEM when the node ID space is exhausted, and so u32_init() fails with -ENOMEM when the hash table ID space is exhausted. The extack message distinguishes pool exhaustion (-ENOSPC) from a transient allocation failure (-ENOMEM). Conditions to recreate the bug: - CONFIG_NET_SCHED=y, CONFIG_CLS_U32=y (or =m with module loaded) - Create a clsact qdisc on a device, then add 4095 u32 filters with auto-generated handles to fill the node ID space for the root hash table (single bucket). The 4096th auto-handle filter add triggers the duplicate handle (fh 800::fff reused). Reachable at Level 2 (unshare -Urn, namespace-local CAP_NET_ADMIN). - For gen_new_htid: create 2047 u32 proto entries on the same block to fill the tp_c handle pool, then create one more. The root table gets handle 0 and aliases with other handle-0 root tables.
Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS

