CVE-2026-52981
Received Received - Intake
Memory Leak in Linux Kernel Networking Stack

Publication date: 2026-06-24

Last updated on: 2026-06-24

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: neigh: let neigh_xmit take skb ownership neigh_xmit always releases the skb, except when no neighbour table is found. But even the first added user of neigh_xmit (mpls) relied on neigh_xmit to release the skb (or queue it for tx). sashiko reported: If neigh_xmit() is called with an uninitialized neighbor table (for example, NEIGH_ND_TABLE when IPv6 is disabled), it returns -EAFNOSUPPORT and bypasses its internal out_kfree_skb error path. Because the return value of neigh_xmit() is ignored here, does this leak the SKB? Assume full ownership and remove the last code path that doesn't xmit or free skb.
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
Probability:
Percentile:
Meta Information
Published
2026-06-24
Last Modified
2026-06-24
Generated
2026-06-25
AI Q&A
2026-06-24
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-52981
EUVD
EUVD-2026-38849
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Quick Actions
Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves the Linux kernel function neigh_xmit, which is responsible for transmitting network packets (skb). Normally, neigh_xmit takes ownership of the skb and releases it after transmission. However, if neigh_xmit is called with an uninitialized neighbor table (such as when IPv6 is disabled and NEIGH_ND_TABLE is not set), it returns an error (-EAFNOSUPPORT) and bypasses the usual skb release path. Because the return value of neigh_xmit is ignored by its caller, this can lead to a memory leak where the skb is not freed.

Impact Analysis

The impact of this vulnerability is a potential memory leak in the Linux kernel networking stack. When the skb is not properly freed due to the error condition, it can lead to increased memory usage and possibly degrade system performance or stability over time. In environments with high network traffic or where IPv6 is disabled, this could cause resource exhaustion or system crashes.

Chat Assistant
Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-52981. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70
EPSS Chart