net/packet: defer vmalloc TX_RING free until skbs finish
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 7 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/packet: defer vmalloc TX_RING free until skbs finish AF_PACKET TX_RING skbs keep a raw pointer to their ring frame. The skb page references preserve page-backed ring blocks after pg_vec is freed, but they do not preserve a vmalloc mapping. tpacket_destruct_skb() currently drops the pending reference before writing the timestamp and TP_STATUS_AVAILABLE to the frame. Move the decrement after those stores. The smp_wmb() in __packet_set_status() orders the frame stores before the decrement. Also recheck pending TX frames under pg_vec_lock before non-closing ring replacement, so a racing send cannot add a pending skb between the initial check and the ring swap. Ring allocation can produce a mixture of page-backed and vmalloc-backed blocks. Allocate deferred-work storage during TX ring setup when the first vmalloc-backed block is encountered, and keep its pointer in the pg_vec allocation header. If allocation fails, return -ENOMEM from ring setup. On socket close, a non-NULL pointer identifies a vmalloc-backed vector without a scan. If TX skbs remain, defer the whole vector to system_long_wq. After pg_vec is detached, a late destructor can skip the pending decrement. Use socket write-memory accounting as the deferred lifetime gate instead: an skb remains charged through its final sock_wfree(), after all ring-frame accesses. The delayed work retains a socket reference and reschedules itself until no TX skbs remain. Move pending_refcnt release to packet_sock_destruct() so late skb destructors and deferred cleanup can safely use it after packet_release(). Page-backed teardown remains synchronous, and no lock is added to the TX completion hot path.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.51, 7.1.13, 7.2.3, 7.3
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 | — |
| 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 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-80841
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-2xw4-rh62-8q7m
- 2026-10-03 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@debf9f50140b3df3949ebcb97d4450f8993fe32d · CNA
- 2026-10-03 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-07 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-07 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@ed126ca71d4d949ad99f40b974a8f7685e808f8b · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
References
Other 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed126ca71d4d949ad99f40b974a8f7685e808f8b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/debf9f50140b3df3949ebcb97d4450f8993fe32d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4ce6e2d2e38055b2012bd5fdb0c8a8183c8a1b0c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed25ed29034ddc3dbe451ccbaa58ab9932f99d8b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0189dce07db2dc059ae0570e06758ec4233c6e11
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/550d00aa58193fb649a09a9c9e338c685adad784
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/992cc9f94ca924089a506ba9b327caa9af797529
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Sources
- CVE-2026-80841 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-80841 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-2xw4-rh62-8q7m · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-80841 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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