VulnerabilityPublished 28 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-99116: Linux kernel · net: psp: do not inherit the Rx association on clone

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-99116

Not known to be exploited · fixed in c962695467d3ab9738a6508279827ec33a7d2bdf : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 14:13 UTC

Severity

High

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

Patch: Available – fixed in c962695467d3ab9738a6508279827ec33a7d2bdf, a9f14ea73e82db743f0acf4219f499d594589288, 1d2929d0850fff683b8aff051275945e65f082c8

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Oct 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.

ghsa-7x5j-pq24-445m

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to c962695467d3ab9738a6508279827ec33a7d2bdf, a9f14ea73e82db743f0acf4219f499d594589288 or 1d2929d0850fff683b8aff051275945e65f082c8.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 6b46ca260e2290e3453d1355ab5b6d283d73d780, < c962695467d3ab9738a6508279827ec33a7d2bdf	Fixed in c962695467d3ab9738a6508279827ec33a7d2bdf
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 6b46ca260e2290e3453d1355ab5b6d283d73d780, < a9f14ea73e82db743f0acf4219f499d594589288	Fixed in a9f14ea73e82db743f0acf4219f499d594589288
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 6b46ca260e2290e3453d1355ab5b6d283d73d780, < 1d2929d0850fff683b8aff051275945e65f082c8	Fixed in 1d2929d0850fff683b8aff051275945e65f082c8
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.18	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to clear the sk->psp_assoc field on socket clone, preventing inheritance of the Rx association and eliminating the use-after-free condition. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix once available. Since this is a kernel vulnerability, upgrading to a patched kernel version is the recommended remediation.

Description

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's net: psp subsystem due to improper handling of the Rx association during socket cloning. This flaw can lead to memory corruption when timewait sockets hold references to freed memory. The issue arises because the per-connection SPI and key association is inherited incorrectly by cloned sockets, causing reference count imbalances and eventual use-after-free errors.

Impact

This vulnerability can cause kernel memory corruption due to use-after-free conditions in the socket handling code. Such corruption may lead to system instability, crashes (kernel panic), or potentially exploitable conditions depending on the attacker's ability to trigger and control the flaw. However, no known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

The Linux kernel's net: psp subsystem improperly copies the sk->psp_assoc field during socket cloning without taking a proper reference. This leads to multiple timewait sockets holding references to the same association pointer. When the listener socket closes and frees the association, timewait timers attempt to put references to already freed memory, causing a slab-use-after-free error detected by KASAN. The vulnerability stems from the failure to clear the association on clone and the fact that tcp_disconnect() leaves sk->psp_assoc intact, allowing a socket to reacquire the association after being turned back into a listener.

References

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