Use-after-free and page leak in Linux kernel ESP zerocopy handling
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: 5 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 6.0 is affected. The IPsec ESP output path rewrites socket buffer fragments without first downgrading zerocopy managed fragments, which breaks their reference ownership. A local user with low privileges can trigger a use-after-free of zerocopy pages and leak page references at packet rate.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: esp: downgrade zerocopy managed frags before mutating skb frags On the out-of-place output path (esp->inplace == false) ESP rewrites the skb frag array: esp_output_head() appends a trailer frag and esp_output_tail() replaces the frags with a destination page, both referenced with get_page(). When the skb carries zerocopy managed frags (SKBFL_MANAGED_FRAG_REFS) the payload frags are owned by the ubuf and must not be referenced or unreferenced individually, but ESP mutates the frag array without ever downgrading the skb. This breaks the managed-frag invariant two ways: - esp_ssg_unref() walks the source scatterlist and drops a page reference for every frag, including the ubuf-owned payload frags, pushing their refcount below the GUP pin bias while the pages are still pinned, i.e. a use-after-free of the zerocopy pages; - esp_output_tail() installs its destination page as frag 0 with get_page() but leaves SKBFL_MANAGED_FRAG_REFS set, so skb_release_data() takes the skip_unref branch and never drops that reference, leaking the x->xfrag page at packet rate. Fix this the way every other frag-mutating site does (__ip_append_data(), __ip6_append_data(), tcp_sendmsg_locked()) and call skb_zcopy_downgrade_managed() before ESP touches the frag array: it takes a real reference on each existing frag and clears SKBFL_MANAGED_FRAG_REFS, so the per-frag unref in esp_ssg_unref() and the frag release in skb_release_data() are both balanced and no mixed-ownership frag array is left behind.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
The fixed Linux kernel versions are 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8 and 7.3, one per branch. Red Hat rates it Moderate and lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 as affected with no fix available, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 as affected with no fix planned.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8, 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 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| 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 |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-06 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98368
- 2026-10-06 Alias added: GHSA-jw2q-x793-gp2m
- 2026-10-07 CVSS score added · CNA
- 2026-10-09 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-09 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2359264f377cdbdef2d95868cc8fb572949e48d3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/69a768c12398cada8528080332c822623fa7064d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6508304ac2c8cdafca2f4ab915df8c707893e134
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6cab554f2c0f28773f712ed3a5479103f42ce844
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0d0845ee61c5df47cc68bc446501f48f71e8dcc6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f89416eb3db151170a6f3c6dfc5239d26cdce4d2
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98368 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98368 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-jw2q-x793-gp2m · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98368 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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