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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-63918: Linux kernel · l2tp: use refcount_inc_not_zero in l2tp_session_get_by_ifname

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 15:47 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none
CVSS scores by source
CNA (Linux)CVSS 3.17.8
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 19 Jul 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.

What to do

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to replace refcount_inc() with refcount_inc_not_zero() in the l2tp_session_get_by_ifname() function, restoring internal consistency and preventing the use-after-free condition. Users should apply the official Linux kernel updates that include this fix. No additional mitigations are indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's L2TP implementation due to improper reference counting in the l2tp_session_get_by_ifname() function. This function uses refcount_inc() instead of refcount_inc_not_zero(), allowing a pointer to a session with a zero refcount to be returned. This can lead to a use-after-free condition when the session memory is freed after an RCU grace period.

References

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