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CVE-2026-68117
tipc: clear sock->sk on the failed-insert path in tipc_sk_create()
Published 2026-08-10 (2 months ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem net/tipc. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-68117 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source
| Release | Status | Version | What this means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 12bookworm | fixedDLA-4777-1 · 2026-09-08 · text | 6.1.187-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4777-1 shipped the fix on 2026-09-08, in 6.1.187-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 13trixie | fixed | 6.12.101-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.12.101-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.1.6-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.6-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.1.6-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.6-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 12bookworm · linux-6.12 | fixedDLA-4745-1 · 2026-08-18 · text | 6.12.101-1~deb12u1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4745-1 shipped the fix on 2026-08-18, in 6.12.101-1~deb12u1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
When tipc_sk_create() fails to insert the new socket (tipc_sk_insert() returns non-zero), its error path frees the sk with sk_free() but leaves sock->sk pointing at the freed object: if (tipc_sk_insert(tsk)) { sk_free(sk); pr_warn("Socket create failed; port number exhausted\n"); return -EINVAL; } This is harmless for plain socket(): the syscall layer clears sock->ops before releasing, so tipc_release() is never called. It is not harmless on the accept() path. tipc_accept() creates the pre-allocated child socket with tipc_sk_create(net, new_sock, 0, kern); on failure it leaves new_sock->sk dangling and new_sock->ops non-NULL, and do_accept() then fput()s the new file, so __sock_release() -> tipc_release() runs lock_sock(new_sock->sk) on the freed sk -- a use-after-free write of the sk_lock spinlock. tipc_release() already guards this exact "failed accept() releases a pre-allocated child" case with "if (sk == NULL) return 0;", but the guard is bypassed because tipc_sk_create() left sock->sk non-NULL (dangling) rather than NULL. Clear sock->sk on the failed-insert path so the existing tipc_release() NULL check fires and the use-after-free is avoided. The tipc_sk_insert() failure is reached when the per-netns socket rhashtable hits its max_size (tsk_rht_params.max_size = 1048576, ~2M elements) -- i.e. once a netns holds ~2M TIPC sockets every insert returns -E2BIG. BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in lock_sock_nested (net/core/sock.c:3839) Write of size 8 at addr ffff8880047cdc38 by task init/1 lock_sock_nested (net/core/sock.c:3839) tipc_release (net/tipc/socket.c:638) __sock_release (net/socket.c:710) sock_close (net/socket.c:1501) __fput (fs/file_table.c:512) Allocated by task 1: sk_alloc (net/core/sock.c:2308) tipc_sk_create (net/tipc/socket.c:487) tipc_accept (net/tipc/socket.c:2744) do_accept (net/socket.c:2034) Freed by task 1: __sk_destruct (net/core/sock.c:2391) tipc_sk_create (net/tipc/socket.c:504) tipc_accept (net/tipc/socket.c:2744) do_accept (net/socket.c:2034)
Where it lives
The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.
net/tipc/socket.c
- What this is
- TIPC NETWORK LAYERMAINTAINERS section matched on net/tipc/ · netdev@vger.kernel.org · Maintained
- Kernel module
- tipc
Check it on the machine
grep -w CONFIG_TIPC /boot/config-$(uname -r)Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.
lsmod | grep -w tipcPrints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.
Show whether Debian builds this, per release
Debian builds this as a loadable module. Every release below compiles it as a module on every flavour, so whether the code is in the running kernel depends on whether that module is loaded.
- bookworm, trixie, forky, sid, bookworm · linux-6.12m
- m
- a loadable module on every flavour - check lsmod, can be blacklisted
- Build switch
- CONFIG_TIPC
From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages
Signals
- Published
- 2026-08-10 (2 months ago)source
- CVSS
- 9.8 critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- network (AV:N)source
- EPSS
- 0.53%, higher than 43.2% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- not yet assignedsource
- Subsystem
- net/tipc
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 5.10.132 | 5.10.265 | efebc23e9b29 |
| 5.15.56 | 5.15.216 | 8d6f26d48e61 |
| 5.19 | 6.1.183 | 82f59aa27f33 |
| 5.19 | 6.6.148 | b07d87b31631 |
| 5.19 | 6.12.101 | dd29891ed840 |
| 5.19 | 6.18.42 | 5f5a41a48dbf |
| 5.19 | 7.1.6 | f9596b156661 |
| 5.19 | 7.2 | ba0533fc163f |
| 4.9.324 | 0 | 0 |
| 4.14.289 | 0 | 0 |
| 4.19.253 | 0 | 0 |
| 5.4.207 | 0 | 0 |
| 5.18.13 | 0 | 0 |
Debian advisories
| Advisory | Date | Shipped to | Debian |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLA-4777-1 | 2026-09-08 | bookworm 6.1.187-1 | tracker |
| DLA-4745-1 | 2026-08-18 | bookworm 6.12.101-1~deb12u1 | tracker |
Why the CNA scored it this way
Quoted from the kernel CNA's own scoring file, word for word. A highlighted metric carries the most severe value CVSS v3.1 defines for it, which is what pushes the score up. source
- AV:NAttack vector, network
- The bug is hit in tipc_accept() when a listening SOCK_STREAM/SOCK_SEQPACKET socket accepts an incoming TIPC connection; peers reach this path over default UDP/Ethernet bearers (e.g. UDP/6118) without local syscall access.
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- An attacker can deterministically fill the per-netns TIPC socket rhashtable (~2M entries) by opening many sockets or connections, then trigger the failed-insert accept() cleanup path that performs lock_sock() on the freed sk.
- PR:NPrivileges required, none
- No elevated Linux capabilities are required to create AF_TIPC stream/seqpacket sockets or send unauthenticated TIPC SYN traffic to a listening cluster service; only LSM policy may restrict access.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- Exploitation needs no end-user action beyond a server’s normal accept() loop processing inbound TIPC connection requests queued by the network stack.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- The use-after-free corrupts kernel heap memory within the same kernel security domain; impact is kernel privilege escalation or crash, not a VM/hypervisor or IOMMU boundary crossing.
- C:HConfidentiality impact, high
- tipc_release() calls lock_sock() on a freed struct sock, a slab use-after-free that can be groomed for arbitrary kernel memory disclosure via controlled reuse of the freed socket object.
- I:HIntegrity impact, high
- The UAF performs an 8-byte write to sk_lock on freed memory during socket teardown, enabling heap corruption and potential arbitrary kernel write or code execution primitives.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- KASAN reports slab-use-after-free in lock_sock_nested during tipc_release on the failed accept() path, causing kernel oops/panic and denial of service even without full exploitation.