CVE-2026-97940
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's IPv6 routing subsystem. A race condition during route iteration termination can allow an internal routing table walker structure to remain on an active list after its associated memory is released. A local user could exploit this flaw during concurrent route deletions, triggering a use-after-free condition that can result in a Denial of Service (DoS) via a system crash or potential privilege escalation.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact for Red Hat Enterprise Linux because exploitation requires local access and precise timing to win a race condition. The issue resides in the kernel's IPv6 route traversal logic when handling iterator termination, which can lead to memory corruption if routes are modified concurrently. While local authenticated users can interact with route iterators through standard interfaces such as the proc filesystem, achieving successful privilege escalation remains complex due to the narrow race window and modern kernel memory protections.
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 | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| 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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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