VulnerabilityPublished 19 Jul 2026

CVE-2026-63911: Linux kernel · xfrm: iptfs: reset runtime state when cloning SAs

Source GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.8High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 19 Jul 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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

ghsa-3gc2-w5w2-ffch

What to do

AI-suggested

A fix for this vulnerability has been implemented in the Linux kernel by reinitializing the cloned runtime state before it is published and correcting module reference handling. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix once available.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: iptfs: reset runtime state when cloning SAs iptfs_clone_state() clones the IPTFS mode data with kmemdup(). This copies runtime objects which must not be shared with the original SA, including the embedded sk_buff_head, hrtimers, spinlock, and in-flight reassembly/reorder state. If xfrm_state_migrate() fails after clone_state() but before the later init_state() call has reinitialized those fields, the cloned state can be destroyed by xfrm_state_gc_task() with list and timer state copied from the original SA. With queued packets this lets the clone splice and free skbs owned by the original IPTFS queue, leading to use-after-free and double-free reports in iptfs_destroy_state() and skb release paths. Reinitialize the clone's runtime state before publishing it through x->mode_data. Because clone_state() now publishes a destroyable mode_data object before init_state(), take the mode callback module reference there. Avoid taking it again from __iptfs_init_state() for the same object.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to use-after-free and double-free conditions in kernel memory management related to IPTFS state cloning. This can cause kernel crashes or potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges by corrupting kernel memory. However, no known exploits are reported in the wild at this time.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel's xfrm subsystem involves the iptfs_clone_state() function, which clones IPTFS mode data using kmemdup(). This cloning copies runtime objects such as sk_buff_head, hrtimers, spinlocks, and in-flight reassembly state that must not be shared between the original and cloned SAs. If the migration of state fails after cloning but before reinitialization, the cloned state can be destroyed with invalid references, causing use-after-free and double-free conditions in iptfs_destroy_state() and skb release paths. The fix involves reinitializing the clone's runtime state before it is published and adjusting module reference handling to prevent premature destruction.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…