CVE-2026-23437
Use-After-Free Vulnerability in Linux Kernel netdev Hierarchy Access
Publication date: 2026-04-03
Last updated on: 2026-04-27
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
| Probability: | |
| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.13 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.0 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.0 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.0 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.0 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.0 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.0 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 7.0 |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.19 (inc) to 6.19.10 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.13.1 (inc) to 6.18.20 (exc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's network subsystem, specifically in the net shaper component. The issue arises because when preparing Netlink operations, a network device (netdev) reference is taken without properly verifying if the device is still active (liveness check). Later, when locking or using Read-Copy-Update (RCU) mechanisms to protect access, the code assumes the netdev is still valid, which may not be true if the device has been unregistered. This improper handling can lead to unsafe late read accesses to the network hierarchy.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can lead to unsafe access to network device data structures after they have been unregistered, potentially causing system instability, crashes, or undefined behavior in the Linux kernel's networking stack. Such issues could affect the reliability and security of network operations on affected systems.