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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-89478: Linux kernel · sctp: drop a chunk if its transport was removed

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
9.8Critical
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 43% 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:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 11 Sep 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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

ProductAffectedFixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-5.5 – 7.0.0-34.34
22 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-1002.2 – 7.0.0-1013.13
14 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1014.14
14 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1013.13
8 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-1002.2 – 7.0.0-1013.13
12 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1002.3 – 7.0.0-1007.8
5 affected builds
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 has been implemented in the Linux kernel to drop SCTP chunks referencing removed transports in sctp_inq_push(). Users should update to the patched Linux kernel versions containing this fix. Since this is a kernel-level vulnerability, applying the official kernel update is the recommended remediation.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: drop a chunk if its transport was removed sctp_rcv() resolves the transport once per packet and leaves it in chunk->transport. The lookup reference, or the one sctp_add_backlog() takes if the socket is owned by userspace, keeps it around until the chunk has been processed. An authenticated ASCONF DEL-IP can remove it in the meantime. sctp_assoc_rm_peer() takes the transport out of the association and calls sctp_transport_free(), which tags it dead and drops the reference the association held. There is a window on both paths: the packet can sit on the socket backlog, and on the direct path the lookup completes before bh_lock_sock(). The DATA chunk in that packet puts the removed transport back into asoc->peer.last_data_from. Once the packet is done that reference goes away and the transport is freed by RCU, so the next delayed SACK carries the pointer into the SACK chunk and sctp_outq_select_transport() reads the freed transport's state. Drop the chunk in sctp_inq_push(), next to the existing rcvr->dead check. Both paths reach it with the association's socket lock held. The peer retransmits it.

References

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