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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-52943: Linux kernel · net: skbuff: fix missing zerocopy reference in pskb_carve helpers

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in fd470f0a97b8e9a125f520265d2f3b088ffb5b8a : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 22% 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 fd470f0a97b8e9a125f520265d2f3b088ffb5b8a, ceafb893b12f23331dcc5ff9587e643c3a40ee9f, 474d6c771d798bca84f0a140b611e36743511e18 +5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 24 Jun 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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 to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 6fa01ccd883021105e9f8af7d04b9f156fa3494a, < fd470f0a97b8e9a125f520265d2f3b088ffb5b8a
Fixed in
  • fd470f0a97b8e9a125f520265d2f3b088ffb5b8a
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 6fa01ccd883021105e9f8af7d04b9f156fa3494a, < ceafb893b12f23331dcc5ff9587e643c3a40ee9f
Fixed in
  • ceafb893b12f23331dcc5ff9587e643c3a40ee9f
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 6fa01ccd883021105e9f8af7d04b9f156fa3494a, < 474d6c771d798bca84f0a140b611e36743511e18
Fixed in
  • 474d6c771d798bca84f0a140b611e36743511e18
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 6fa01ccd883021105e9f8af7d04b9f156fa3494a, < 98d0912e9f841e5529a5b89a972805f34cb1c69d
Fixed in
  • 98d0912e9f841e5529a5b89a972805f34cb1c69d
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 6fa01ccd883021105e9f8af7d04b9f156fa3494a, < 96a4713ae041cc85e712bac682cd2e644004d6c6
Fixed in
  • 96a4713ae041cc85e712bac682cd2e644004d6c6
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 6fa01ccd883021105e9f8af7d04b9f156fa3494a, < 9b40bdc2a3298225dffab8158208a0d8c6300578
Fixed in
  • 9b40bdc2a3298225dffab8158208a0d8c6300578

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: skbuff: fix missing zerocopy reference in pskb_carve helpers pskb_carve_inside_header() and pskb_carve_inside_nonlinear() both copy the old skb_shared_info header into a new buffer via memcpy(), which includes the destructor_arg pointer (uarg) for MSG_ZEROCOPY skbs. Neither function calls net_zcopy_get() for the new shinfo, creating an unaccounted holder: every skb_shared_info with destructor_arg set will call skb_zcopy_clear() once when freed, but the corresponding net_zcopy_get() was never called for the new copy. Repeated calls drive uarg->refcnt to zero prematurely, freeing ubuf_info_msgzc while TX skbs still hold live destructor_arg pointers. KASAN reports use-after-free on a freed ubuf_info_msgzc: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in skb_release_data+0x77b/0x810 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88801574d3e8 by task poc/220 Call Trace: skb_release_data+0x77b/0x810 kfree_skb_list_reason+0x13e/0x610 skb_release_data+0x4cd/0x810 sk_skb_reason_drop+0xf3/0x340 skb_queue_purge_reason+0x282/0x440 rds_tcp_inc_free+0x1e/0x30 rds_recvmsg+0x354/0x1780 __sys_recvmsg+0xdf/0x180 Allocated by task 219: msg_zerocopy_realloc+0x157/0x7b0 tcp_sendmsg_locked+0x2892/0x3ba0 Freed by task 219: ip_recv_error+0x74a/0xb10 tcp_recvmsg+0x475/0x530 The skb consuming the late access still referenced the same uarg via shinfo->destructor_arg copied by pskb_carve_inside_nonlinear() without a refcount bump. This has been verified to be reliably exploitable: a working proof-of-concept achieves full root privilege escalation from an unprivileged local user on a default kernel configuration. The fix follows the pattern of pskb_expand_head() which has the same memcpy/cloned structure. For pskb_carve_inside_header(), net_zcopy_get() is placed after skb_orphan_frags() succeeds, so the orphan error path needs no cleanup. For pskb_carve_inside_nonlinear(), net_zcopy_get() is placed after all failure points and just before skb_release_data(), so no error path needs cleanup at all -- matching pskb_expand_head() more closely and avoiding the need for a balancing net_zcopy_put().

References

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