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.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 41% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
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
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.
AI-suggested
A fix for this vulnerability has been implemented in the Linux kernel. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this patch to resolve the memory leak issue.
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
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74678 (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/2be5091fa693b9119ad25a8bb8c149d236a23ade (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4039cd807a5a46dc5f7618fffae926b8ad8455eb (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/58733b1dd46bb231d9d279c132a20ee46da1b664 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/83a765cbd7b4d11b0b9fa1bb9d941ae911a2159b (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-74678 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74678 (opens in a new tab)