CVE-2026-63999

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

ethtool RSS Configuration Memory Leak

Publication date: 2026-07-19

Last updated on: 2026-10-08

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: rss: fix indir_table and hkey leak on get_rxfh failure rss_prepare_get() allocates the indirection table and hash key buffer via rss_get_data_alloc(), then calls ops->get_rxfh() to populate them. If get_rxfh() fails, the function returns an error without freeing the allocation.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-07-19

Last Modified

2026-10-08

Generated

2026-10-09

AI Q&A

2026-07-19

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-07

NVD

CVE-2026-63999

EUVD

EUVD-2026-45572

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	6.15
linux	linux_kernel	6.15
linux	linux_kernel	From 5.15.181 (inc) to 5.16 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	6.15
linux	linux_kernel	6.15
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.13.12 (inc) to 6.14 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	6.15
linux	linux_kernel	6.15
linux	linux_kernel	6.15
linux	linux_kernel	7.1
linux	linux_kernel	7.1
linux	linux_kernel	7.1
linux	linux_kernel	7.1
linux	linux_kernel	7.1
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.19 (inc) to 7.0.12 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.14.3 (inc) to 6.15 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.1.135 (inc) to 6.2 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.12.24 (inc) to 6.13 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.6.88 (inc) to 6.7 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.15.1 (inc) to 6.18.35 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-401	The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a memory leak in the ethtool RSS (Receive Side Scaling) functionality. When the rss_prepare_get() function allocates memory for the indirection table and hash key buffer and then fails during the get_rxfh() operation, it does not free the allocated memory before returning an error. This leads to a resource leak.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves memory leaks in the Linux kernel's ethtool RSS (Receive Side Scaling) functionality. Detection requires checking for kernel logs or memory usage patterns indicating failed rxfh operations. No specific commands are provided in the context.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could cause system resource exhaustion over time due to memory leaks. If exploited repeatedly, it may lead to degraded performance, crashes, or denial of service conditions on affected systems using the Linux kernel with the vulnerable ethtool RSS functionality.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards as it is a memory leak issue in the Linux kernel's ethtool RSS functionality. Compliance impacts would only occur if the vulnerability led to unauthorized data exposure or system instability, which is not indicated in the provided context.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Linux kernel patches addressing this issue. Monitor kernel logs for ethtool-related errors. Restart affected network services if leaks are detected. Ensure RSS configurations are validated after updates.

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