netfilter: cttimeout: prevent UAF during module unload
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 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: netfilter: cttimeout: prevent UAF during module unload nf_ct_set_timeout() protects the timeout hook dereference and policy lookup with rcu_read_lock(). cttimeout_exit(), however, unregisters the per-net operations before it clears the hook. This allows the following interleaving: CPU 0 CPU 1 cttimeout_exit() nf_ct_set_timeout() unregister_pernet_subsys() rcu_read_lock() kfree(pernet) h = nf_ct_timeout_hook h->timeout_find_get() nfct_timeout_pernet() The hook still points to ctnl_timeout_find_get() when CPU 1 looks up the already freed per-net timeout list. KASAN reported: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ctnl_timeout_find_get Read of size 8 by task poc/90 Call Trace: ctnl_timeout_find_get+0x271/0x2a0 [nfnetlink_cttimeout] nf_ct_set_timeout+0x7b/0x3c0 xt_ct_tg_check+0x724/0xb20 xt_check_target+0x234/0xa90 do_ipt_set_ctl+0x570/0x1270 Allocated by task 89: __kmalloc_noprof+0x16e/0x460 ops_init+0x6d/0x420 register_pernet_operations+0x2f6/0x670 Freed by task 91: kfree+0x131/0x390 ops_undo_list+0x3d4/0x730 unregister_pernet_operations+0x232/0x490 unregister_pernet_subsys+0x1c/0x30 cttimeout_exit+0x52/0x970 [nfnetlink_cttimeout] Clear the hook and wait for existing readers before unregistering the per-net operations. This blocks new policy lookups and ensures readers that observed the hook finish before the per-net storage is freed.
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, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. 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 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-97609
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-5m7p-36vh-9w8v
- 2026-10-03 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@73f353bec62509c776184e49a031c6145cec0d05 · CNA
- 2026-10-03 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@f664e06699829a31e95675a6864655a6c5f9904f · CNA
- 2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@763787e9d43982d1082b59caeabd317343b153ea · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/763787e9d43982d1082b59caeabd317343b153ea
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f664e06699829a31e95675a6864655a6c5f9904f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73f353bec62509c776184e49a031c6145cec0d05
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a7fdd86c386b7f7cc72a126389c2cdb55d035221
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1f69c570a73f2dedf75ea5166d47622d5fa958c1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fec9b1de0d02de8dafa3cc344bcb91cf28660643
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Sources
- CVE-2026-97609 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-97609 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5m7p-36vh-9w8v · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-97609 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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