CVE-2026-98432
UnknownSummary
A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's IPv4 TCP socket option handling. The ireq_opt options are freed with a plain kfree() even though other CPUs may still access them under RCU (e.g., when building a SYNACK or creating a child socket), leading to a use-after-free in ip_options_build(). The issue also affects request socket migration (tcp_migrate_req).
Risk Assessment
The vulnerability can cause a kernel crash (panic) or potentially kernel code execution, threatening system stability and security. Exploitation requires remote network traffic, so systems acting as TCP servers are exposed.
Recommendation
Update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix that replaces kfree() with kfree_rcu() in inet_sock_destruct() and tcp_v4_reqsk_destructor(). Until patched, consider limiting exposure of TCP services to untrusted networks.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
See all- CVE-2026-98431Unknown
The Linux kernel contains an ABBA deadlock between the mmap_lock and disassociation_lock in the RDMA/uverbs subsystem. A thread performing mmap/fork acquires locks in the order mmap_lock → disassociation_lock, while the thread executing uverbs_user_mmap_disassociate() acquires them in reverse order, leading to a potential deadlock. The issue was resolved by removing disassociation_lock and using the existing hw_destroy_rwsem instead.
- CVE-2026-98430Unknown
In the Linux kernel, the RDMA/efa management IRQ handler accesses both the admin completion queue and the async event queue. The driver registered the IRQ before constructing these queues and destroyed them before freeing the IRQ, so the handler's lifetime was not contained by the resources it accesses. The fix initializes the queues with interrupts masked, requests the IRQ, then switches to interrupt mode, and on removal resets the device and frees the IRQ before destroying the queues.
- CVE-2026-98429Unknown
In the Linux kernel, the RDMA/efa completion IRQ handler accesses the EQ state and DMA buffer. Its IRQ was registered before that state was initialized, while teardown released the buffer before free_irq() synchronized the handler. The fix initializes the EQ without arming it, registers the IRQ, then arms it, and reverses the resource order during teardown by freeing the IRQ before destroying the EQ.
- CVE-2026-98428Unknown
In the Linux kernel, the USB 6fire driver uses URBs embedded in different structs for PCM, MIDI and communication, which is a buggy implementation nowadays; since a URB is managed with a refcount, this may lead to a UAF when the URB is released asynchronously. The fix converts those embedded URBs to ones properly allocated via usb_alloc_urb(), changing each embedded struct urb to a pointer and updating callers; resources are released in common destructors called at both the init error path and disconnect.
- CVE-2026-98427Unknown
In the Linux kernel, the CoDel scheduler's dropping loop in codel_dequeue() could fail to advance with very small interval values, draining the entire backlog under the qdisc lock in a single call. An unprivileged user could trigger a soft lockup this way. The fix ensures the control-law step is at least 1 tick and caps the dropping loop at 256 drops per codel_dequeue() call.
- CVE-2026-98426Unknown
In the Linux kernel, the mwifiex wifi driver's mwifiex_pcie_request_irq() registers each MSI-X vector with a per-index dev_id (&card->msix_ctx[i]). On a request_irq() failure the cleanup loop "for (j = 0; j < i; j++)" frees msix_entries[j].vector but passes the failed index's &card->msix_ctx[i] as the dev_id. Since free_irq() matches on (irq, dev_id), it fails to find the action registered with &card->msix_ctx[j]: the already-requested IRQ j is not freed (leaked) and free_irq() warns about freeing a non-existent IRQ. The fix uses &card->msix_ctx[j].
- CVE-2026-98425Unknown
In the Linux kernel, ieee80211_request_ibss_scan() in mac80211 warns when the regulatory domain leaves no allowed channel to scan. This can happen because the regdomain can change while IBSS is operating, and IBSS can continue to operate briefly during the 60s grace period until it is shut down. The fix removes the warning in this case.
- CVE-2026-98424Unknown
In the Linux kernel, cfg80211_switch_netns() in cfg80211 moves all interfaces, then moves the wiphy itself by setting its network namespace and renaming it, which makes sysfs move it. The rename can fail (only on allocation failures), leaving things mixed up and hitting a warning. The fix undoes the move and lets the change fail, and if undo fails it WARNs.
- CVE-2026-98423Unknown
In the Linux kernel, mac80211_hwsim checks ->started for frames coming from wmediumd, but the radio can be stopped after the check and before frame delivery, causing mac80211 to hit WARN_ON(!local->started). The fix expands the mutex for this case and synchronizes against it when the radio is stopped, and drops an error print that complicated the error path.
- CVE-2026-98422Unknown
In the Linux kernel, mac80211 AP_VLAN interfaces get crypto_tx_tailroom_needed_cnt from the AP interface on ifup, but it is never decremented unless the AP is also brought down. Bringing the same AP_VLAN up again increments the counter again and eventually hits the WARN_ON_ONCE sanity check. The fix resets it on ifdown.
Original NVD description (English source)
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period tcp_v4_syn_recv_sock() transfers ownership of ireq->ireq_opt to the child socket (newinet->inet_opt) without copying it. Another cpu can concurrently process a retransmitted SYN for the same request socket, and send a SYNACK from tcp_check_req(). tcp_v4_send_synack() and inet_csk_route_req() read ireq->ireq_opt under rcu_read_lock() only, and ip_build_and_send_pkt() and ip_options_build() then read opt->optlen twice. Note that the SYNACK timer itself is not an issue: it holds a reference on its request socket, and inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop() calls timer_delete_sync() before the child can be freed. Since commit 079096f103fa ("tcp/dccp: install syn_recv requests into ehash table"), request sockets are processed without holding the listener lock, so nothing prevents the child socket from being freed while the SYNACK is still being built. TCP child sockets do not have SOCK_RCU_FREE, and inet_sock_destruct() frees inet_opt with a plain kfree(), leading to a use-after-free in ip_options_build(). A similar issue exists with request socket migration (net.ipv4.tcp_migrate_req=1, or a BPF_SK_REUSEPORT_SELECT_OR_MIGRATE program). reqsk_timer_handler() clones the request socket with inet_reqsk_clone(), so that the old request socket and its clone share the same ireq_opt, then reqsk_migrate_reset() clears the pointer in the old one. Another cpu holding a reference on the old request socket can still be using these options (sending a SYNACK, or creating a child in tcp_v4_syn_recv_sock()) when the clone is freed, and tcp_v4_reqsk_destructor() also uses a plain kfree(). Readers already use RCU, and other paths replacing inet_opt (do_ip_setsockopt(), cipso_v4_sock_setattr()...) already use kfree_rcu(). Use kfree_rcu() in inet_sock_destruct() and tcp_v4_reqsk_destructor() as well. IPv6 is not affected by the first issue, because tcp_v6_syn_recv_sock() duplicates the options. tcp_v6_reqsk_destructor() has the same migration issue with ipv6_opt, which is only set by CALIPSO. This will be addressed in a separate patch.
Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS

