CVE-2026-68162: Linux kernel · sctp: avoid auth_enable sysctl UAF during netns teardown
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in fd66854a22661929245f3d2b244c432bc8b1a150 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% 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 fd66854a22661929245f3d2b244c432bc8b1a150, f8d5e7846025f4ab15a461235f8ebae9094a361a, ceb7190b5c873d4a1267a1600c5aa52c600e929f +12
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 10 Aug 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 to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: avoid auth_enable sysctl UAF during netns teardown proc_sctp_do_auth() updates the SCTP control socket after changing net.sctp.auth_enable. The handler gets the per-net SCTP state from ctl->data, so an already opened sysctl file can still target a network namespace while that namespace is being torn down. SCTP previously registered its per-net sysctls from sctp_defaults_init(), while the control socket is created later from sctp_ctrlsock_init(). This exposed a window during initialization where auth_enable was writable before net->sctp.ctl_sock existed, and a teardown window where auth_enable stayed writable after inet_ctl_sock_destroy() had released the control socket. Move the per-net SCTP sysctl registration into sctp_ctrlsock_init() after sctp_ctl_sock_init() succeeds, and unregister the sysctl table before destroying the control socket in sctp_ctrlsock_exit(). If sysctl registration fails after the control socket was created, destroy the control socket in the same init path. Make sctp_sysctl_net_unregister() tolerate a missing header and clear the saved pointer so init-error and exit paths can safely share the unregister helper.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/19573dcddb8819fd68d6cd1f916c1c99c3fa4ff4 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ceb7190b5c873d4a1267a1600c5aa52c600e929f (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/fd66854a22661929245f3d2b244c432bc8b1a150 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/158f3cc332dc53f43ec20060233d7c3cecd6d912 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/66700c0719675e0e118ae83b2d7168dacd69dd3d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/626bda8cfe43dff19a9833ff6ba055a817b5455c (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/be6aae9d1b91c603adb35872d37d40e83daf8758 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a50e73488e0bbdd262b3be3c9a1d8dd078382381 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f8d5e7846025f4ab15a461235f8ebae9094a361a (opens in a new tab)