CVE-2026-23340
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. A race condition exists in the network queue management (qdisc) component when the number of transmit queues is dynamically reduced while network traffic is active. This can lead to a Use-After-Free (UAF) vulnerability, where memory is prematurely freed while still being accessed. A local attacker could exploit this to cause a denial of service.
Statement
This flaw affects systems where network queue counts are dynamically changed (e.g., via ethtool -L) while traffic is flowing. The race between qdisc_reset_all_tx_gt() and __qdisc_run() for lockless qdiscs causes SKBs to be freed while being dequeued. Easily reproducible on virtio-net with concurrent queue resizing and traffic.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | N/A | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Application Data; Modify Memory; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
It may be possible to cause data corruption and possibly execute arbitrary code by modifying global variables or data structures at unexpected times, violating the assumptions of code that uses this global data.
Access Control
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
If a signal handler interrupts code that is executing with privileges, it may be possible that the signal handler will also be executed with elevated privileges, possibly making subsequent exploits more severe.
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