CVE-2026-74678: Linux kernel · net: usb: ax88179_178a: fix skb leak in ax88179_tx_fixup()
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 6.8.0-1036.39 soon.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 01:00 UTC
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 6.8.0-1036.39
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 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 the Ubuntu linux-nvidia-tegra package to 6.8.0-1036.39.
Patches and advisories
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: ax88179_178a: fix skb leak in ax88179_tx_fixup() When the interface has NETIF_F_SG enabled and skb_linearize() fails in ax88179_tx_fixup(), the function returns NULL without freeing the skb. usbnet_start_xmit() treats a NULL return from tx_fixup() as a drop (info->flags does not set FLAG_MULTI_PACKET for this driver), jumping to the "drop" label where it does `if (skb) dev_kfree_skb_any(skb)`. Because tx_fixup() returned NULL, the local skb variable in usbnet_start_xmit() is NULL, so the original skb is never freed — a memory leak on every TX frame whose linearization fails (i.e. under memory pressure). Free the skb before returning, matching the error handling already used for the pskb_expand_head() failure path in the same function.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-74678 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74678 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4039cd807a5a46dc5f7618fffae926b8ad8455eb (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2be5091fa693b9119ad25a8bb8c149d236a23ade (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/83a765cbd7b4d11b0b9fa1bb9d941ae911a2159b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c63303659a2264bd55d9813df74cb4caeed5922 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/1f428e30947395d9b9aacee03e25a4e6cfcad7a4 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/58733b1dd46bb231d9d279c132a20ee46da1b664 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8886-1 (opens in a new tab)