CVE-2026-45998
Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete
Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel rxrpc

Publication date: 2026-05-27

Last updated on: 2026-06-16

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rxrpc: Fix potential UAF after skb_unshare() failure If skb_unshare() fails to unshare a packet due to allocation failure in rxrpc_input_packet(), the skb pointer in the parent (rxrpc_io_thread()) will be NULL'd out. This will likely cause the call to trace_rxrpc_rx_done() to oops. Fix this by moving the unsharing down to where rxrpc_input_call_event() calls rxrpc_input_call_packet(). There are a number of places prior to that where we ignore DATA packets for a variety of reasons (such as the call already being complete) for which an unshare is then avoided. And with that, rxrpc_input_packet() doesn't need to take a pointer to the pointer to the packet, so change that to just a pointer.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-05-27
Last Modified
2026-06-16
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-05-27
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
EUVD
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 4 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel From 6.7 (inc) to 6.12.86 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.2 (inc) to 6.6.140 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.13 (inc) to 6.18.27 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.19 (inc) to 7.0.4 (exc)
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Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-416 The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's rxrpc component. It involves a potential use-after-free (UAF) issue that occurs when the function skb_unshare() fails to unshare a packet due to an allocation failure in rxrpc_input_packet(). When this failure happens, the skb pointer in the parent function rxrpc_io_thread() is set to NULL, which can cause a crash (an 'oops') when trace_rxrpc_rx_done() is called.

The fix involves moving the unsharing operation to a later point in the code, specifically where rxrpc_input_call_event() calls rxrpc_input_call_packet(), avoiding unnecessary unsharing attempts for certain DATA packets that are ignored for various reasons.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel to crash unexpectedly due to a use-after-free error, leading to system instability or denial of service. Specifically, if the skb pointer is NULL when trace_rxrpc_rx_done() is called, it can cause an 'oops' which is a kernel crash event.

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