CVE-2026-64579
Received Received - Intake

Memory Corruption in Linux Kernel XFRM Policy

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-64579, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-08-05

Last updated on: 2026-08-05

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: policy: preallocate inexact bins before xfrm_hash_rebuild reinsert xfrm_hash_rebuild()'s first loop preallocates the bins/chains the reinsert loop needs, so the reinsert (after hlist_del_rcu()) cannot allocate or fail. But its guard is inverted: it skips policies with prefixlen < threshold and preallocates for the rest. prefixlen < threshold is exactly when policy_hash_bysel() returns NULL and the reinsert takes the allocating xfrm_policy_inexact_insert() path. So the loop preallocates for the exact policies (which never allocate) and skips the inexact ones, whose bin/node is then allocated GFP_ATOMIC during reinsert. On failure the error path only WARN_ONCE()s and continues, leaving a poisoned bydst node; the next rebuild's hlist_del_rcu() dereferences LIST_POISON2 and takes a GPF. Reachable under memory pressure, deterministic via failslab. Invert the guard so preallocation covers exactly the reinserted policies; the reinsert then allocates nothing and cannot fail. Crash: Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xfbd59c0000000024: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI KASAN: maybe wild-memory-access in range [0xdead...] ... Workqueue: events xfrm_hash_rebuild RIP: 0010:xfrm_hash_rebuild+0x5b3/0x1190 RAX: dead000000000122 (LIST_POISON2 + offset) ... Call Trace: hlist_del_rcu (include/linux/rculist.h:599) xfrm_hash_rebuild (net/xfrm/xfrm_policy.c:1365) process_one_work (kernel/workqueue.c:3322) worker_thread (kernel/workqueue.c:3486) kthread (kernel/kthread.c:436) ret_from_fork (arch/x86/kernel/process.c:158) ret_from_fork_asm (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245) ... Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-05
Last Modified
2026-08-05
Generated
2026-08-05
AI Q&A
2026-08-05
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability where xfrm_hash_rebuild() incorrectly preallocates memory bins for exact policies but skips inexact ones. During memory pressure, the reinsert operation for inexact policies may fail, leading to a poisoned node. Subsequent rebuilds dereference a poisoned pointer, causing a general protection fault and kernel panic.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's xfrm policy handling and may not have direct detection commands. Monitor kernel logs for general protection faults or crashes related to xfrm_hash_rebuild. Check for Oops messages or LIST_POISON2 dereferences in system logs.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause system crashes (kernel panic) under memory pressure, especially when using network policies. It may lead to denial of service as the system becomes unresponsive. The crash is deterministic via failslab testing, meaning it can be triggered intentionally.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a kernel-level issue in the Linux xfrm subsystem that can lead to a kernel panic under memory pressure. It does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards as it is a system stability and availability issue rather than a data protection or privacy concern.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Linux kernel patches to address the xfrm policy handling flaw. Avoid high memory pressure scenarios that could trigger the vulnerability. Monitor kernel updates from your distribution for fixes.

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