CVE-2026-53080
Received Received - Intake
NULL dereference in Linux kernel cls_fw classifier

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: net/sched: cls_fw: fix NULL dereference of "old" filters before change() Like pointed out by Sashiko [1], since commit ed76f5edccc9 ("net: sched: protect filter_chain list with filter_chain_lock mutex") TC filters are added to a shared block and published to datapath before their ->change() function is called. This is a problem for cls_fw: an invalid filter created with the "old" method can still classify some packets before it is destroyed by the validation logic added by Xiang. Therefore, insisting with repeated runs of the following script: # ip link add dev crash0 type dummy # ip link set dev crash0 up # mausezahn crash0 -c 100000 -P 10 \ > -A 4.3.2.1 -B 1.2.3.4 -t udp "dp=1234" -q & # sleep 1 # tc qdisc add dev crash0 egress_block 1 clsact # tc filter add block 1 protocol ip prio 1 matchall \ > action skbedit mark 65536 continue # tc filter add block 1 protocol ip prio 2 fw # ip link del dev crash0 can still make fw_classify() hit the WARN_ON() in [2]: WARNING: ./include/net/pkt_cls.h:88 at fw_classify+0x244/0x250 [cls_fw], CPU#18: mausezahn/1399 Modules linked in: cls_fw(E) act_skbedit(E) CPU: 18 UID: 0 PID: 1399 Comm: mausezahn Tainted: G E 7.0.0-rc6-virtme #17 PREEMPT(full) Tainted: [E]=UNSIGNED_MODULE Hardware name: Red Hat KVM, BIOS 1.16.3-2.el9 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:fw_classify+0x244/0x250 [cls_fw] Code: 5c 49 c7 45 00 00 00 00 00 41 5d 41 5e 41 5f 5d c3 cc cc cc cc 5b b8 ff ff ff ff 41 5c 41 5d 41 5e 41 5f 5d c3 cc cc cc cc 90 <0f> 0b 90 eb a0 0f 1f 80 00 00 00 00 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 RSP: 0018:ffffd1b7026bf8a8 EFLAGS: 00010202 RAX: ffff8c5ac9c60800 RBX: ffff8c5ac99322c0 RCX: 0000000000000004 RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: ffff8c5b74d7a000 RDI: ffff8c5ac8284f40 RBP: ffffd1b7026bf8d0 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffffd1b7026bf9b0 R10: 00000000ffffffff R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000000000010000 R13: ffffd1b7026bf930 R14: ffff8c5ac8284f40 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 00007fca40c37740(0000) GS:ffff8c5b74d7a000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007fca40e822a0 CR3: 0000000005ca0001 CR4: 0000000000172ef0 Call Trace: <TASK> tcf_classify+0x17d/0x5c0 tc_run+0x9d/0x150 __dev_queue_xmit+0x2ab/0x14d0 ip_finish_output2+0x340/0x8f0 ip_output+0xa4/0x250 raw_sendmsg+0x147d/0x14b0 __sys_sendto+0x1cc/0x1f0 __x64_sys_sendto+0x24/0x30 do_syscall_64+0x126/0xf80 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f RIP: 0033:0x7fca40e822ba Code: d8 64 89 02 48 c7 c0 ff ff ff ff eb b8 0f 1f 00 f3 0f 1e fa 41 89 ca 64 8b 04 25 18 00 00 00 85 c0 75 15 b8 2c 00 00 00 0f 05 <48> 3d 00 f0 ff ff 77 7e c3 0f 1f 44 00 00 41 54 48 83 ec 30 44 89 RSP: 002b:00007ffc248a42c8 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002c RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 000055ef233289d0 RCX: 00007fca40e822ba RDX: 000000000000001e RSI: 000055ef23328c30 RDI: 0000000000000003 RBP: 000055ef233289d0 R08: 00007ffc248a42d0 R09: 0000000000000010 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 000000000000001e R13: 00000000000186a0 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 00007fca41043000 </TASK> irq event stamp: 1045778 hardirqs last enabled at (1045784): [<ffffffff864ec042>] __up_console_sem+0x52/0x60 hardirqs last disabled at (1045789): [<ffffffff864ec027>] __up_console_sem+0x37/0x60 softirqs last enabled at (1045426): [<ffffffff874d48c7>] __alloc_skb+0x207/0x260 softirqs last disabled at (1045434): [<ffffffff874fe8f8>] __dev_queue_xmit+0x78/0x14d0 Then, because of the value in the packet's mark, dereference on 'q->handle' with NULL 'q' occurs: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000038 [...] RIP: 0010:fw_classify+0x1fe/0x250 [cls_fw] [...] Skip "old-style" classification on shared blocks, so that the NULL dereference is fixed and WARN_ON() is not hit anymore in the short lifetime of invalid cls_fw "old-style" filters. [1] https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/2 ---truncated---
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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-2026-53080
EUVD
EUVD-2026-38948
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 7.0.0-rc6
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's traffic control (TC) filter subsystem, specifically in the cls_fw module. It involves a NULL pointer dereference caused by the use of invalid 'old-style' filters that are added to a shared block and published to the datapath before their change function is called. This can lead to the kernel hitting a warning (WARN_ON) and eventually a NULL pointer dereference when processing packets, potentially causing a kernel crash.

The issue arises because invalid filters created with the old method can still classify some packets before being destroyed by validation logic, leading to unsafe dereferencing of pointers in the kernel code.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause a kernel NULL pointer dereference, which may lead to a kernel crash or system instability. An attacker or a malicious user with the ability to add and manipulate traffic control filters could exploit this to disrupt normal system operations, potentially causing denial of service (DoS) conditions.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by running a specific sequence of commands that trigger the problematic behavior in the Linux kernel's cls_fw module. The commands involve creating a dummy network device, sending a large number of UDP packets, adding traffic control (tc) filters, and then deleting the device. If the vulnerability is present, the kernel will hit a WARN_ON() in the fw_classify function, which can be observed in the kernel logs.

  • ip link add dev crash0 type dummy
  • ip link set dev crash0 up
  • mausezahn crash0 -c 100000 -P 10 -A 4.3.2.1 -B 1.2.3.4 -t udp "dp=1234" -q &
  • sleep 1
  • tc qdisc add dev crash0 egress_block 1 clsact
  • tc filter add block 1 protocol ip prio 1 matchall action skbedit mark 65536 continue
  • tc filter add block 1 protocol ip prio 2 fw
  • ip link del dev crash0

Monitoring the kernel logs for warnings or BUG messages related to fw_classify or cls_fw after running these commands will help detect the vulnerability.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, avoid using the old-style cls_fw classification on shared blocks, as this prevents the NULL dereference and the WARN_ON() from being triggered.

Specifically, refrain from running scripts or commands that create invalid filters using the old method, such as repeatedly adding and deleting dummy network devices with cls_fw filters that can cause fw_classify() to hit the warning or NULL pointer dereference.

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