ipv4: igmp: Fix potential UAF in igmp_gq_start_timer()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 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: ipv4: igmp: Fix potential UAF in igmp_gq_start_timer() A race condition exists between device teardown (inetdev_destroy) and incoming IGMP query processing (igmp_rcv), leading to a Use-After-Free in the IGMP timer callback. During device destruction, inetdev_destroy() drops the primary reference to in_device, which can drop its refcount to 0. The actual freeing of in_device memory is deferred via RCU (using call_rcu()). Concurrently, igmp_rcv() runs under RCU read lock and obtains the in_device pointer. Because the memory is RCU-protected, CPU-0 can safely dereference in_device even if its refcount has hit 0. However, if CPU-0 calls igmp_gq_start_timer() and re-arms the timer, it attempts to acquire a reference using in_dev_hold(). This increments the refcount from 0 to 1, triggering a "refcount_t: addition on 0" warning. Since the in_device memory is still scheduled to be freed after the RCU grace period (as the free callback does not check the refcount again), the device is freed while the timer is still armed. When the timer expires, it accesses the freed memory, causing a kernel panic. Fix this by using refcount_inc_not_zero() (via a new helper in_dev_hold_safe()) to prevent acquiring a reference if the device is already being destroyed. If the refcount is 0, we do not arm the timer. A similar issue in IPv6 MLD is fixed in a subsequent patch.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Total
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 | 2.6.12 and later | 5.10.269, 5.15.220, 6.1.187, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.12 and later Fixed in 5.10.269, 5.15.220, 6.1.187, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.269, 5.15.220, 6.1.187, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-72323
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-ghfh-7xfw-63jp
- 2026-10-16 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-16 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7265c747eec415ca3109a6a14a419f7ae433b780
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d107b4c4f8274763b7ea5ab05d45cef78e4b81ba
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/74b301f7f197517016befb5f5dfab01f7bc64be5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40a1e998cb266ed4cb529a0bb4fee2b0ba732702
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/165258303357e54b75fc19b341ae2a2b7c9e3910
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/75e984fe0cb9e7fbde0c8ee838c61ce8573d3ea3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8d4394ffa40508e0de72f464af351f6ca6a6cdc3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b19c0f81ed1fdaec6bc522569be367199a9edf3
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Sources
- CVE-2026-72323 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-72323 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-ghfh-7xfw-63jp · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-72323 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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