inet: inet_defrag: prevent sk release while still in use
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 14 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inet: inet_defrag: prevent sk release while still in use ip_local_out() and other functions can pass skb->sk as function argument. If the skb is a fragment and reassembly happens before such function call returns, the sk must not be released. This affects skb fragments reassembled via netfilter or similar modules, e.g. openvswitch or ct_act.c, when run as part of tx pipeline. Eric Dumazet made an initial analysis of this bug. Quoting Eric: Calling ip_defrag() in output path is also implying skb_orphan(), which is buggy because output path relies on sk not disappearing. A relevant old patch about the issue was : 8282f27449bf ("inet: frag: Always orphan skbs inside ip_defrag()") [..] net/ipv4/ip_output.c depends on skb->sk being set, and probably to an inet socket, not an arbitrary one. If we orphan the packet in ipvlan, then downstream things like FQ packet scheduler will not work properly. We need to change ip_defrag() to only use skb_orphan() when really needed, ie whenever frag_list is going to be used. Eric suggested to stash sk in fragment queue and made an initial patch. However there is a problem with this: If skb is refragmented again right after, ip_do_fragment() will copy head->sk to the new fragments, and sets up destructor to sock_wfree. IOW, we have no choice but to fix up sk_wmem accouting to reflect the fully reassembled skb, else wmem will underflow. This change moves the orphan down into the core, to last possible moment. As ip_defrag_offset is aliased with sk_buff->sk member, we must move the offset into the FRAG_CB, else skb->sk gets clobbered. This allows to delay the orphaning long enough to learn if the skb has to be queued or if the skb is completing the reasm queue. In the former case, things work as before, skb is orphaned. This is safe because skb gets queued/stolen and won't continue past reasm engine. In the latter case, we will steal the skb->sk reference, reattach it to the head skb, and fix up wmem accouting when inet_frag inflates truesize.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- 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 | 4.1 and later | 5.4.285, 5.10.227, 5.15.168, 6.1.85, 6.6.26, 6.8.5, 6.9 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.1 and later Fixed in 5.4.285, 5.10.227, 5.15.168, 6.1.85, 6.6.26, 6.8.5, 6.9 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.4.285, 5.10.227, 5.15.168, 6.1.85, 6.6.26, 6.8.5, 6.9
Red Hat 4 advisories
- RHSA-2025:8796 Released 2025-06-11 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.4) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4, libperf-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.4) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.4) bpftool-7.3.0-427.72.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.72.1.el9_4 +11
- RHSA-2024:9315 Released 2024-11-12 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) kernel-cross-headers-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, libperf-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) bpftool-7.4.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-64k-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5 +30
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5 +11
- RHSA-2024:5101 Released 2024-08-08 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-553.16.1.el8_10, kernel-4.18.0-553.16.1.el8_10, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-553.16.1.el8_10 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-553.16.1.el8_10
Show 1 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2024:5102 Released 2024-08-08 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel-rt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.16.1.rt7.357.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.16.1.rt7.357.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.16.1.rt7.357.el8_10 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.16.1.rt7.357.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.16.1.rt7.357.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.16.1.rt7.357.el8_10 +7
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:8796 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:8796 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:5101 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:8796 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:5101 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:5102 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:5102 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:8796 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:9315 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2025:8796 |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9)
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-26921
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-4vg2-58j7-gmw7
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Patch 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1b6de5e6575b56502665c65cf93b0ae6aa0f51ab
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9705f447bf9a6cd088300ad2c407b5e1c6591091
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4318608dc28ef184158b4045896740716bea23f0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7d0567842b78390dd9b60f00f1d8f838d540e325
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f4877225313d474659ee53150ccc3d553a978727
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e09cbe017311508c21e0739e97198a8388b98981
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18685451fc4e546fc0e718580d32df3c0e5c8272
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Sources
- CVE-2024-26921 · CVE Program
- CVE-2024-26921 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-4vg2-58j7-gmw7 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2024-26921 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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