CVE-2026-98321
Received Received - Intake

Memory Leak in Linux Kernel NAT Hooks

Publication date: 2026-10-06

Last updated on: 2026-10-06

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_nat: unregister and release hooks on error If nf_hook_entries_insert_raw() fails, the NAT hooks get never released, resulting in a memleak. Postpone setting nat_proto_net->nat_hook_ops when the hooks are registered to simplify the error path to decide whether the nat hooks need unwinding.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-06
Last Modified
2026-10-06
Generated
2026-10-06
AI Q&A
2026-10-06
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-98321
EUVD
EUVD-2026-93306

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 4 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 1cd472bf036ca038e783ef5f058f54e45b7e8180
Linux Linux 1cd472bf036ca038e783ef5f058f54e45b7e8180
Linux Linux 1cd472bf036ca038e783ef5f058f54e45b7e8180
Linux Linux 4.18

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a memory leak in the netfilter NAT subsystem. When a specific function fails, NAT hooks are not properly released, causing memory to remain allocated.

Impact Analysis

The memory leak could lead to gradual system resource exhaustion, potentially causing performance degradation or crashes over time if the affected component is heavily used.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve the memleak in nf_nat hooks. Monitor system memory usage for leaks and restart affected services if necessary.

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