netfilter: nf_tables: fix memleak when more than 255 elements expired
Priority LOW 28CWE-401Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 9 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-401.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_tables: fix memleak when more than 255 elements expired When more than 255 elements expired we're supposed to switch to a new gc container structure. This never happens: u8 type will wrap before reaching the boundary and nft_trans_gc_space() always returns true. This means we recycle the initial gc container structure and lose track of the elements that came before. While at it, don't deref 'gc' after we've passed it to call_rcu.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00255 17th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Linux (Linux): 6.5, 6.5.6, 6.6Red Hat: 3 advisoriesRed Hat: 9 fixed, 2 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.4.11 to before 6.5 | 6.5 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 6.5 and later | 6.5.6, 6.6 | Patch available | CNA |
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.5
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.5.6, 6.6
Red Hat 3 advisories
- RHSA-2024:2950 Released 2024-05-22 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel-rt security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.rt7.342.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.rt7.342.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.rt7.342.el8_10 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.rt7.342.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.rt7.342.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.rt7.342.el8_10 +7
- RHSA-2024:3138 Released 2024-05-22 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-553.el8_10, kernel-4.18.0-553.el8_10, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-553.el8_10 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-553.el8_10
- RHSA-2024:2394 Released 2024-04-30 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) bpftool-7.3.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, libperf-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4 +9
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:3138 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:3138 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2950 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2950 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:2394 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-52581
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mfw5-pp35-j4h8
References
Patch 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7cf055b43756b10aa2b851c927c940f5ed652125
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a995a68e8a3b48533e47c856865d109a1f1a9d01
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/09c85f2d21ab6b5acba31a037985b13e8e6565b8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ef99506eaf1dc31feff1adfcfd68bc5535a22171
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e5d732e6902eb6a37b35480796838a145ae5f07
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4aea243b6853d06c1d160a9955b759189aa02b14
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cf5000a7787cbc10341091d37245a42c119d26c5
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2023-52581 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-52581 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mfw5-pp35-j4h8 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-52581 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences