Upstream information
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:tcp: defer md5sig_info kfree past RCU grace period in tcp_connect
The md5+ao reconciliation in tcp_connect() (net/ipv4/tcp_output.c)
has two symmetric branches:
if (needs_md5) {
tcp_ao_destroy_sock(sk, false);
} else if (needs_ao) {
tcp_clear_md5_list(sk);
kfree(rcu_replace_pointer(tp->md5sig_info, NULL, ...));
}
Both branches free a per-socket auth-info object while the socket is
in TCP_SYN_SENT and is already on the inet ehash (inserted by
inet_hash_connect() in tcp_v4_connect()). Both branches are reachable
by softirq RX-path readers that load the corresponding info pointer
via implicit RCU before bh_lock_sock_nested() is taken.
The needs_md5 branch is fixed in the prior patch by re-introducing
the call_rcu() free in tcp_ao_destroy_sock(): the equivalent per-key
loop runs inside tcp_ao_info_free_rcu(), the RCU callback, so by the
time it frees each tcp_ao_key all softirq readers that captured the
container have already completed rcu_read_unlock().
The needs_ao branch is not symmetric in the same way. The container
free can be deferred via kfree_rcu(md5sig, rcu) -- struct
tcp_md5sig_info already has the required rcu member
(include/net/tcp.h:1999-2002), and the rest of the tree already does
this in the tcp_md5sig_info_add() rollback paths
(net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:1410, 1436). But the per-key teardown is done
by tcp_clear_md5_list() in process context BEFORE the container's
RCU grace period: it walks &md5sig->head and frees each
tcp_md5sig_key with bare hlist_del + kfree. A concurrent softirq
reader in __tcp_md5_do_lookup() / __tcp_md5_do_lookup_exact()
(tcp_ipv4.c:1253, 1298) walks the same list via
hlist_for_each_entry_rcu() and races with that bare kfree on the
keys themselves -- a per-key slab use-after-free of the same class
as the TCP-AO bug, on the same race window.
Fix this in two halves:
1. Convert the bare kfree() in tcp_connect() to kfree_rcu() so the
md5sig_info container joins the rest of the md5sig lifecycle.
The local-variable lift is mechanical and required because
kfree_rcu() is a macro that expects an lvalue.
2. Make tcp_clear_md5_list() RCU-safe by replacing hlist_del +
kfree(key) with hlist_del_rcu + kfree_rcu(key, rcu). struct
tcp_md5sig_key already carries the rcu member
(include/net/tcp.h:1995) and tcp_md5_do_del()
(net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:1456) already uses kfree_rcu, so this
restores the lifecycle invariant the rest of the file follows
rather than introducing a one-off.
The other caller of tcp_clear_md5_list() is tcp_md5_destruct_sock()
(net/ipv4/tcp.c:412), which runs from the sock destructor when the
socket is already unhashed and unreachable; the extra grace period
there is unnecessary but harmless. Making the helper unconditionally
RCU-safe is the cleaner contract.
The needs_ao branch is not reachable by the userns reproducer used
to demonstrate the AO-side splat (the repro installs both keys but
ends up in the needs_md5 branch because the connect peer matches
the MD5 key, not the AO key); however the symmetric race exists
and a maintainer touching this code should not have to think about
which branch escapes RCU and which one does not.
[also credits to Qihang, who found that this races with tcp-diag]
SUSE information
Overall state of this security issue: Resolved
This issue is currently rated as having important severity.
| CVSS detail | CNA (NVD) | Linux Kernel CNA | SUSE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 9.8 | 9.8 | 7.5 |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | None | None |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality Impact | High | High | None |
| Integrity Impact | High | High | None |
| Availability Impact | High | High | High |
| CVSSv3 Version | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| CVSS detail | SUSE |
|---|---|
| Base Score | 8.7 |
| Vector | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| Attack Vector | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low |
| Attack Requirements | None |
| Privileges Required | None |
| User Interaction | None |
| Vulnerable System Confidentiality Impact | None |
| Vulnerable System Integrity Impact | None |
| Vulnerable System Availability Impact | High |
| Subsequent System Confidentiality Impact | None |
| Subsequent System Integrity Impact | None |
| Subsequent System Availability Impact | None |
| CVSSv4 Version | 4.0 |
Note from the SUSE Security Team on the kernel-default package
SUSE will no longer fix all CVEs in the Linux Kernel anymore, but declare some bug classes as won't fix. Please refer to TID 21496 for more details. SUSE Bugzilla entries: 1275597 [NEW], 1275598 [NEW] No SUSE Security Announcements cross referenced.Status of this issue by product and package
Please note that this evaluation state might be work in progress, incomplete or outdated. Also information for service packs in the LTSS phase is only included for issues meeting the LTSS criteria. If in doubt, feel free to contact us for clarification. The updates are grouped by state of their lifecycle. SUSE product lifecycles are documented on the lifecycle page.
| Product(s) | Source package | State |
|---|---|---|
| Products under general support and receiving all security fixes. | ||
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | kernel-default | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | kernel-source | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | kernel-default | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | kernel-source | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP7 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | kernel-default | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | kernel-source | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | kernel-default | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | kernel-source | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | kernel-default | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | kernel-source | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | kernel-default | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | kernel-source | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | kernel-default | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | kernel-source | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | kernel-source | Affected |
| Products under Long Term Service Pack support and receiving important and critical security fixes. | ||
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS Extended Security | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS Extended Security | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Server LTS 4.3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| Products past their end of life and not receiving proactive updates anymore. | ||
| SUSE CaaS Platform 4.0 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-ESPOS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP6 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP5 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-BCL | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-BCL | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-BCL | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | kernel-default | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.0 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.1 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.2 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP4 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.3 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | kernel-source | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | kernel-source-rt | Not affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | kernel-source | Not affected |
SUSE Timeline for this CVE
CVE page created: Tue Aug 18 19:41:59 2026CVE page last modified: Mon Aug 24 12:39:18 2026