CVE-2026-23445: Linux kernel · Use After Free
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in b02fa17d1744d19cd3820bdbf6ec5d85547977bf : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 2% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
- Automatable
- Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
- Technical impact
- Total control over the software or total information disclosure
CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-10-16.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in b02fa17d1744d19cd3820bdbf6ec5d85547977bf, 31521c124e6488c4a81658e35199feb75a988d86, 45b33e805bd39f615d9353a7194b2da5281332df +1
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 3 Apr 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade Linux kernel to b02fa17d1744d19cd3820bdbf6ec5d85547977bf, 31521c124e6488c4a81658e35199feb75a988d86, 45b33e805bd39f615d9353a7194b2da5281332df or 5e4c90c94eb766d70e30694b7fe66862aabaf24b.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel after version 6.10, as indicated by the fixed commit hashes. Users and administrators should update their Linux kernel to a version including these fixes to resolve the issue. No additional mitigations are specified or required beyond applying the official patch.
Description
CVE-2026-23445 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel's igc driver related to XDP TX timestamp handling. The flaw causes a kernel page fault when an XDP application requesting TX timestamping shuts down while the network interface link remains up. This results from stale xsk_meta pointers left behind during TX ring shutdown, which the IRQ handler then accesses improperly. The issue has been fixed by cleaning up these stale pointers on TX shutdown, without affecting TX timestamps on other queues.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5e4c90c94eb766d70e30694b7fe66862aabaf24b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/31521c124e6488c4a81658e35199feb75a988d86 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b02fa17d1744d19cd3820bdbf6ec5d85547977bf (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/45b33e805bd39f615d9353a7194b2da5281332df (opens in a new tab)