CVE-2026-45860

Description

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's netfilter connection counting (nf_conncount) feature. This vulnerability occurs when the system tracks more than eight new connections per jiffy, causing the connection list to not be cleaned up efficiently. A remote attacker could exploit this by rapidly establishing connections, leading the system to incorrectly believe it has reached its connection limit. This can result in a denial of service, preventing legitimate users from establishing new connections.

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 HatNVDcve.org
Base Score7N/A7.5
Attack VectorLocalN/ANetwork
Attack ComplexityHighN/ALow
Privileges RequiredLowN/ANone
User InteractionNoneN/ANone
ScopeUnchangedN/AUnchanged
ConfidentialityHighN/ANone
Integrity ImpactHighN/ANone
Availability ImpactHighN/AHigh

Vector

Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Understanding the Weakness (CWE)

Availability

Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory); DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)

When allocating resources without limits, an attacker could prevent other systems, applications, or processes from accessing the same type of resource. It can be easy for an attacker to consume many resources by rapidly making many requests or causing larger resources to be used than is needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

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