VulnerabilityPublished 26 Aug 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-74735: Linux kernel · l2tp: fix tunnel and session refcount leak on seq_file release

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ebe2774e956482dd3c70b8991f6f7654356339e6 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in ebe2774e956482dd3c70b8991f6f7654356339e6, bdf83613781956cc39798ed08321f74ab0467f4d, bd897e414451fb34dfdf08b31899180e5ab7149b +4

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 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.

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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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 >=3.16.60 <3.17 >=4.16.6 <4.17	Fixed in ebe2774e956482dd3c70b8991f6f7654356339e6 bdf83613781956cc39798ed08321f74ab0467f4d bd897e414451fb34dfdf08b31899180e5ab7149b 9006c116dd111d457bf5d074990210f70a4ad2c8 8c4fde01bcf91f22b9c7ded8c3e14addd7ddd500 4.17 3.17
LinuxLinux	Affected =4.17	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: l2tp: fix tunnel and session refcount leak on seq_file release In pppol2tp_proc_open() and l2tp_dfs_seq_open(), iteration state (pd->tunnel and pd->session) is kept in seq_file private data to allow iteration across multiple read() system calls. However, if userspace closes /proc/net/pppol2tp or /sys/kernel/debug/l2tp/tunnels before reading to end-of-file (EOF), any tunnel or session reference stored in pd->tunnel / pd->session is left un-dropped when seq_file private data is freed. Fix this by dropping any remaining pd->tunnel and pd->session references in pppol2tp_proc_release() and l2tp_dfs_seq_release() when closing the file.

References

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