net: fix memory leak in skb_segment_list for GRO packets
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 fixed, 5 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-401.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: fix memory leak in skb_segment_list for GRO packets When skb_segment_list() is called during packet forwarding, it handles packets that were aggregated by the GRO engine. Historically, the segmentation logic in skb_segment_list assumes that individual segments are split from a parent SKB and may need to carry their own socket memory accounting. Accordingly, the code transfers truesize from the parent to the newly created segments. Prior to commit ed4cccef64c1 ("gro: fix ownership transfer"), this truesize subtraction in skb_segment_list() was valid because fragments still carry a reference to the original socket. However, commit ed4cccef64c1 ("gro: fix ownership transfer") changed this behavior by ensuring that fraglist entries are explicitly orphaned (skb->sk = NULL) to prevent illegal orphaning later in the stack. This change meant that the entire socket memory charge remained with the head SKB, but the corresponding accounting logic in skb_segment_list() was never updated. As a result, the current code unconditionally adds each fragment's truesize to delta_truesize and subtracts it from the parent SKB. Since the fragments are no longer charged to the socket, this subtraction results in an effective under-count of memory when the head is freed. This causes sk_wmem_alloc to remain non-zero, preventing socket destruction and leading to a persistent memory leak. The leak can be observed via KMEMLEAK when tearing down the networking environment: unreferenced object 0xffff8881e6eb9100 (size 2048): comm "ping", pid 6720, jiffies 4295492526 backtrace: kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x5c6/0x800 sk_prot_alloc+0x5b/0x220 sk_alloc+0x35/0xa00 inet6_create.part.0+0x303/0x10d0 __sock_create+0x248/0x640 __sys_socket+0x11b/0x1d0 Since skb_segment_list() is exclusively used for SKB_GSO_FRAGLIST packets constructed by GRO, the truesize adjustment is removed. The call to skb_release_head_state() must be preserved. As documented in commit cf673ed0e057 ("net: fix fraglist segmentation reference count leak"), it is still required to correctly drop references to SKB extensions that may be overwritten during __copy_skb_header().
Why it matters now
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 | 6.1.85 to before 6.1.161; 6.6.26 to before 6.6.121; 5.15.154 to before 5.16; 6.8.5 to before 6.9 | 6.1.161, 6.6.121, 5.16, 6.9 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 6.9 and later | 6.1.161, 6.6.121, 6.12.66, 6.18.6, 6.19 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.1.85 to before 6.1.161; 6.6.26 to before 6.6.121; 5.15.154 to before 5.16; 6.8.5 to before 6.9 Fixed in 6.1.161, 6.6.121, 5.16, 6.9 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.9 and later Fixed in 6.1.161, 6.6.121, 6.12.66, 6.18.6, 6.19 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 11
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15.154 to before 5.16; 6.1.85 to before 6.1.161; 6.6.26 to before 6.6.121; 6.8.5 to before 6.9; 6.9.1 to before 6.12.66; 6.13 to before 6.18.6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.9 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.9 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.9 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.9 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.9 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.9 rc7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.19 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15.154 to before 5.16; 6.1.85 to before 6.1.161; 6.6.26 to before 6.6.121; 6.8.5 to before 6.9; 6.9.1 to before 6.12.66; 6.13 to before 6.18.6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.9 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.9 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.9 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.9 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.9 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.9:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.9 rc7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.19:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.19 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.161, 6.6.121, 5.16, 6.9
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.161, 6.6.121, 6.12.66, 6.18.6, 6.19
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2026:38491 Released 2026-07-13 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) kernel-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-core-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8 +28
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, libperf-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-core-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-687.25.1.el9_8 +9
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38491 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38491 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38491 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38491 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:38491 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-22979
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-w4ch-7p82-3m56
- 2026-10-15 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0b27828ebd1ed3107d7929c3737adbe862e99e74
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/88bea149db2057112af3aaf63534b24fab5858ab
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3264881431e308b9c72cb8a0159d57a56d67dd79
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c114a32a2e70b82d447f409f7ffcfa3058f9d5bd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/238e03d0466239410b72294b79494e43d4fabe77
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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- 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-2026-22979 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-22979 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-w4ch-7p82-3m56 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-22979 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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