VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 6 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-74464: Linux kernel · net: openvswitch: fix skb leak on flow key update failure during ct

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in e84dfaac50aab45ad8c670da43e3aa1f97bd2a41 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 18:02 UTC

Severity

Low

Rated Low by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

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: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-06.

Patch

Available – fixed in e84dfaac50aab45ad8c670da43e3aa1f97bd2a41, e0ba8eaef2a0d02a7a485e6a7157e47272b65cea, bc62e843bc48f933da765ce47079fd992e535794 +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 6 Nov 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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), 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.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386, < e84dfaac50aab45ad8c670da43e3aa1f97bd2a41	Fixed in e84dfaac50aab45ad8c670da43e3aa1f97bd2a41
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386, < e0ba8eaef2a0d02a7a485e6a7157e47272b65cea	Fixed in e0ba8eaef2a0d02a7a485e6a7157e47272b65cea
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386, < bc62e843bc48f933da765ce47079fd992e535794	Fixed in bc62e843bc48f933da765ce47079fd992e535794
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386, < b77126b2915900f69f9fcf5d624a77c8e6d50c31	Fixed in b77126b2915900f69f9fcf5d624a77c8e6d50c31
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386, < 736e972f3f8a304158345223ac6e816166a467ce	Fixed in 736e972f3f8a304158345223ac6e816166a467ce
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386, < 393f3c72600ab6721d732a0ab245bc896c5b28fc	Fixed in 393f3c72600ab6721d732a0ab245bc896c5b28fc

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel versions identified by the provided commit hashes. Users should update to a Linux kernel version that includes these fixes to prevent the skb leak. No additional mitigation actions are necessary as the issue is resolved by the official patch.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Open vSwitch (OVS) component could cause a socket buffer (skb) memory leak when flow key updates fail during connection tracking (ct). This occurs because ovs_ct_execute() properly frees or steals the skb on failure, but ovs_flow_key_update() does not, leading to leaked memory in rare cases where a packet becomes unparseable after applying certain actions. The issue has been fixed by adjusting error handling to ensure proper skb freeing.

Impact

The vulnerability results in a memory leak of socket buffers (skb) in the Linux kernel's Open vSwitch component under rare conditions. While this leak could potentially degrade system performance or stability over time if triggered repeatedly, exploitation is unlikely due to the specific and uncommon conditions required for the leak to occur. There are no reports of known exploits in the wild.

Summary

CVE-2026-74464 addresses a memory leak in the Linux kernel's Open vSwitch implementation. Specifically, when ovs_flow_key_update() fails to update the flow key during connection tracking, it does not free the skb, unlike ovs_ct_execute(), which does. This discrepancy leads to skb leaks if the failure occurs and the function returns immediately. The fix involves changing the control flow to break and allow common error handling code to free the skb correctly. The vulnerability is considered very unlikely to occur as it requires a packet to become unparseable after previously being parseable due to applied actions.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 6 Nov 2026, 18:02 UTC

Technical details

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