Linux hwe edge: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net_sched: fix skb memory leak in deferred qdisc drops When the network stack… (CVE-2026-53079)
A memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's network scheduler subsystem (net_sched) was fixed. The issue involved improper handling of packet queues when the root queuing discipline (qdisc) did not implement a specific flag (TCQ_F_DEQUEUE_DROPS), causing packets to remain stranded and not freed. This could lead to resource exhaustion. The vulnerability has been addressed by modifying the packet drop handling logic to correctly manage the root qdisc's to_free list. The fix is included in Linux kernel updates for various Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and OEM kernel packages.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-53079 describes a memory leak in the Linux kernel's network scheduler (net_sched) related to deferred queuing discipline (qdisc) drops. When the network stack cleans up deferred packet lists via qdisc_run_end(), it operates on the root qdisc. If the root qdisc lacks the TCQ_F_DEQUEUE_DROPS flag, packets queued for freeing are never released and remain stranded on the child's local to_free list. The patch makes qdisc_dequeue_drop() aware of the root qdisc, checking for the flag and appending packets directly to the root's to_free list if present; otherwise, packets are dropped directly as before. This resolves the memory leak by ensuring proper packet freeing.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability causes a memory leak in the kernel's network packet handling, which can lead to resource exhaustion and potential denial of service. The CVSS score is 5.5 (medium severity), with impact limited to availability (no confidentiality or integrity impact). No known exploits are reported in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
A patch is available and should be applied by updating to the fixed Linux kernel versions listed in the Ubuntu security advisories USN-8566-1 and USN-8568-1. After updating, a system reboot is required. Due to an ABI change, third-party kernel modules must be recompiled and reinstalled. Follow the vendor's update instructions carefully to ensure full remediation.
Linux hwe edge: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net_sched: fix skb memory leak in deferred qdisc drops When the network stack… (CVE-2026-53079)
Description
A memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's network scheduler subsystem (net_sched) was fixed. The issue involved improper handling of packet queues when the root queuing discipline (qdisc) did not implement a specific flag (TCQ_F_DEQUEUE_DROPS), causing packets to remain stranded and not freed. This could lead to resource exhaustion. The vulnerability has been addressed by modifying the packet drop handling logic to correctly manage the root qdisc's to_free list. The fix is included in Linux kernel updates for various Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and OEM kernel packages.
CVSS v3.1
Score 5.5medium
Affected software
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~16.04.1?arch=source&distro=xenialpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~18.04.2?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~18.04.1?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~18.04.1?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~18.04.1?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~18.04.2?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~18.04.1?arch=source&distro=bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.2?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+cvm1.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.3?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~20.04.1?arch=source&distro=focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.2?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.2.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~22.04.1?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=bluefield/noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]~24.04.1?arch=source&distro=realtime/noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolutepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resoluteRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-53079 describes a memory leak in the Linux kernel's network scheduler (net_sched) related to deferred queuing discipline (qdisc) drops. When the network stack cleans up deferred packet lists via qdisc_run_end(), it operates on the root qdisc. If the root qdisc lacks the TCQ_F_DEQUEUE_DROPS flag, packets queued for freeing are never released and remain stranded on the child's local to_free list. The patch makes qdisc_dequeue_drop() aware of the root qdisc, checking for the flag and appending packets directly to the root's to_free list if present; otherwise, packets are dropped directly as before. This resolves the memory leak by ensuring proper packet freeing.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability causes a memory leak in the kernel's network packet handling, which can lead to resource exhaustion and potential denial of service. The CVSS score is 5.5 (medium severity), with impact limited to availability (no confidentiality or integrity impact). No known exploits are reported in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
A patch is available and should be applied by updating to the fixed Linux kernel versions listed in the Ubuntu security advisories USN-8566-1 and USN-8568-1. After updating, a system reboot is required. Due to an ABI change, third-party kernel modules must be recompiled and reinstalled. Follow the vendor's update instructions carefully to ensure full remediation.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53079
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.7.0
- Ecosystems
- ["Ubuntu:16.04:LTS","Ubuntu:18.04:LTS","Ubuntu:20.04:LTS","Ubuntu:22.04:LTS","Ubuntu:24.04:LTS","Ubuntu:Nvidia-BlueField:24.04:LTS","Ubuntu:Pro:Realtime:24.04:LTS","Ubuntu:26.04:LTS"]
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
Threat ID: 6a5a013991ae9bcd3f801ad1
Added to database: 07/17/2026, 10:17:29 UTC
Last enriched: 09/07/2026, 22:54:50 UTC
Last updated: 09/14/2026, 22:01:35 UTC
Views: 104
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