CVE-2026-80841
NVD
Vulnerability 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.
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.
Affected & Patched Versions
Not provided by NVD for this CVE.
No patched version published yet
Until a fix ships, reduce exposure:
- Restrict access to the affected service or interface to trusted networks.
- Disable the affected feature if you do not need it.
- Watch the vendor advisory for a firmware or software update.
What to do
Fix it during your normal patch cycle. No exploitation is confirmed yet.
- Check whether you run the affected product and which version.
- No patched version is listed yet. Limit access to the affected service to trusted networks, and disable the feature if you can.
- Subscribe to the vendor advisory so you learn when a fix ships.
Timeline
- Sep 4, 2026Published
- Oct 30, 2026Record last modified
Score, severity and exploitation changes are tracked from the day Watchtower started logging them.
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External References
- Referencehttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0189dce07db2dc059ae0570e06758ec4233c6e11
- Referencehttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4ce6e2d2e38055b2012bd5fdb0c8a8183c8a1b0c
- Referencehttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/550d00aa58193fb649a09a9c9e338c685adad784
- Referencehttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/992cc9f94ca924089a506ba9b327caa9af797529
- Referencehttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/debf9f50140b3df3949ebcb97d4450f8993fe32d
- Referencehttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed126ca71d4d949ad99f40b974a8f7685e808f8b
- Referencehttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed25ed29034ddc3dbe451ccbaa58ab9932f99d8b
Data last checked: Nov 15, 2026 01:08 UTC