CVE Catalog

CVE-2026-98491

HighCVSS 7.8
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, the openvswitch conntrack module can modify a shared unconfirmed ct entry. When a cloned skb with an unconfirmed ct entry is committed, differing extension sets cause a use-after-free on the destruction path.

Risk Assessment

A local attacker or a network pipeline bug can trigger kernel memory corruption (UAF), leading to a system crash or potential kernel code execution.

Recommendation

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix that resets the ct entry when shared during commit. If updating is not possible, restrict openvswitch conntrack usage with skb cloning.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

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Original NVD description (English source)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: openvswitch: conntrack: avoid modifying shared unconfirmed ct entry In a case where skb with an unconfirmed ct entry gets cloned, we may end up committing both but with different sets of extensions. The series of events: 1. The first clone wants to commit and runs the helpers wiring up the extension pointer into the expectation list. 2. Then it looses the confirmation keeping the entry unconfirmed. 3. Second clone now wants to commit labels and adds the new extension for that breaking the pointer in the expectation list causing UAF on the destruction path later. While this is possible to trigger, there should be no practical network pipeline where committing both clones without modifications into the same zone is needed. So, let's just reset the entry in case for some reason we got an skb with a shared one during commit. This doesn't affect any known use cases, but avoids any potential problems with sharing and modification of the unconfirmed ct entry. The fixes tag points to the introduction of helpers, since that's the main UAF trigger for the sharing.

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