CVE-2026-68161
Received Received - Intake

SCTP UDP Tunnel Socket Leak in Linux Kernel

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-10

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: close UDP tunnel sockets during netns teardown proc_sctp_do_udp_port() starts per-net SCTP UDP tunneling sockets when net.sctp.udp_port is set, and stops/restarts them when the sysctl value changes. The netns exit path does not stop these sockets, so a namespace can be torn down while its SCTP UDP tunnel sockets are still installed. Close the UDP tunnel sockets from sctp_ctrlsock_exit() after unregistering the per-net sysctl table. This prevents new sysctl writes from racing in while the sockets are being released, and closes the sockets before the control socket is destroyed.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-10
Last Modified
2026-08-10
Generated
2026-08-10
AI Q&A
2026-08-10
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-68161
EUVD
EUVD-2026-55547

Affected Vendors & Products

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

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves SCTP UDP tunneling sockets not being properly closed during network namespace teardown. The issue occurs when proc_sctp_do_udp_port() creates these sockets but the netns exit path fails to stop them, leaving sockets active after the namespace is destroyed.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves SCTP UDP tunneling sockets not being properly closed during network namespace teardown. Detection requires checking for active SCTP UDP tunnel sockets on systems with the Linux kernel. Inspect loaded kernel modules and active sockets using commands like lsmod, ss -tulnp, or netstat -tulnp. Look for SCTP-related processes or sockets that persist after namespace operations.

Impact Analysis

This could lead to resource leaks, where sockets remain open even after the network namespace is torn down. This might cause instability or unexpected behavior in systems relying on SCTP UDP tunneling, potentially affecting network services or applications using these sockets.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Linux kernel security updates to patch this issue. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling SCTP UDP tunneling by setting net.sctp.udp_port to 0 or unloading the SCTP module if not required. Monitor for unusual network activity or socket persistence in namespaces.

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