CVE-2026-80668
Description
A flaw was found in the Netfilter subsystem of the Linux kernel, specifically within nf_conntrack_expect. A race condition exists between the removal of an expectation and an expiring timer, which can allow the system to access a stale pointer. This vulnerability could lead to system instability or a denial of service (DoS) condition.
Statement
This vulnerability is evaluated with a Moderate severity rating because successful exploitation requires highly specific connection tracking expectation rules and precise execution timing, primarily resulting in system crashes or kernel disruption. In typical Red Hat Enterprise Linux configurations, automatic connection tracking helpers are deactivated by default, significantly narrowing the attack surface. An attacker generally requires local access or network traffic matched against explicitly defined helper policies to trigger the race window.
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 | 7 | N/A | 9.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
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:H/I:H/A:H
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