CVE Watchtower

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CVE-2026-23111NVD

Vulnerability Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

netfilter: nf_tables: fix inverted genmask check in nft_map_catchall_activate()

nft_map_catchall_activate() has an inverted element activity check
compared to its non-catchall counterpart nft_mapelem_activate() and
compared to what is logically required.

nft_map_catchall_activate() is called from the abort path to re-activate
catchall map elements that were deactivated during a failed transaction.
It should skip elements that are already active (they don't need
re-activation) and process elements that are inactive (they need to be
restored). Instead, the current code does the opposite: it skips inactive
elements and processes active ones.

Compare the non-catchall activate callback, which is correct:

nft_mapelem_activate():
if (nft_set_elem_active(ext, iter->genmask))
return 0; /* skip active, process inactive */

With the buggy catchall version:

nft_map_catchall_activate():
if (!nft_set_elem_active(ext, genmask))
continue; /* skip inactive, process active */

The consequence is that when a DELSET operation is aborted,
nft_setelem_data_activate() is never called for the catchall element.
For NFT_GOTO verdict elements, this means nft_data_hold() is never
called to restore the chain->use reference count. Each abort cycle
permanently decrements chain->use. Once chain->use reaches zero,
DELCHAIN succeeds and frees the chain while catchall verdict elements
still reference it, resulting in a use-after-free.

This is exploitable for local privilege escalation from an unprivileged
user via user namespaces + nftables on distributions that enable
CONFIG_USER_NS and CONFIG_NF_TABLES.

Fix by removing the negation so the check matches nft_mapelem_activate():
skip active elements, process inactive ones.
Severity Level
HIGH(7.8)
Published Date
Feb 13, 2026
Last Modified
Oct 15, 2026
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation yet
EPSS Score (30-Day)
0.52%Probability
Root Weakness (CWE)
Refer to the official MITRE database for detailed architectural specifications regarding this weakness.
Refer to the official MITRE database for detailed architectural specifications regarding this weakness.
CVSS v3.1 Base Metrics — Score 7.8 (HIGH)
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

Affected & Patched Versions

Affected Versions
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 4.19.316 and < 4.20
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 5.4.262 and < 5.5
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 5.10.188 and < 5.11
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 5.15.121 and < 5.15.200
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 6.1.36 and < 6.1.163
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 6.3.10 and < 6.4
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 6.4.1 and < 6.6.124
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 6.7 and < 6.12.70
  • Linux Linux Kernel >= 6.13 and < 6.18.10
  • Linux Linux Kernel
Patched Versions
  • Linux Linux Kernel 4.20
  • Linux Linux Kernel 5.5
  • Linux Linux Kernel 5.11
  • Linux Linux Kernel 5.15.200
  • Linux Linux Kernel 6.1.163
  • Linux Linux Kernel 6.4
  • Linux Linux Kernel 6.6.124
  • Linux Linux Kernel 6.12.70
  • Linux Linux Kernel 6.18.10
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🎁7-Day Free Trial — Try Pro or Team, no card required.
📧Email Delivery — Threat intel straight to your inbox.
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🚨All New CVEs — Be the first to know.
📈EPSS Spike Alerts — Catch rising risk before it peaks.
🎯Custom EPSS/CVSS — Filter noise, focus on risk.
🛡️Exploit Intel — A 2nd confirmed-exploit signal beyond KEV.
🐙GitHub Issues — Auto-tracked, no duplicates.
📬Weekly Digest — One clean summary, not inbox spam.
🏷️Watchlist Groups — Tag alerts by team (Infra/AppSec/SOC).
💬Webhooks — Slack & Teams integration.
🔀Smart Routing — Critical alerts to one channel, rest to another.
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