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Linux kernel before 6.6.152.1-1 can access freed data

published 2 months ago
Summary

Versions of the Linux kernel older than 6.6.152.1-1 may mistakenly use memory that has already been released, which could cause crashes or unexpected behavior. This occurs when the system updates certain network settings without proper coordination. Upgrade to the latest kernel version or apply the provided patches to resolve the issue.

What to do
  • Update kernel to version 6.6.152.1-1.
Affected software
Ecosystem VendorProductAffected versions
Azure Linux:3 azure kernel <= 6.6.150.1-1
Azure Linux:3 – kernel < 6.6.152.1-1
Fix: upgrade to 6.6.152.1-1
Original advisory text
CVE-2026-74656 affecting package kernel for versions less than 6.6.152.1-1
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ipv4: fix use-after-free in fib_nhc_update_mtu()

fib_nhc_update_mtu() walks the nexthop exception table under RTNL, but
RTNL does not serialize this walk with PMTU exception updates. The walk
uses rcu_dereference_protected() with a constant true condition without
holding fnhe_lock.

The following interleaving can therefore occur:

CPU 0 CPU 1
fib_nhc_update_mtu() update_or_create_fnhe()
load fnhe spin_lock_bh(&fnhe_lock)
fnhe_remove_oldest()
unlink fnhe
kfree_rcu(fnhe, rcu)
<quiescent state>
access fnhe after grace period

KASAN reported:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in fib_nhc_update_mtu+0x3df/0x410
Read of size 8 at addr ffff888107d49000 by task poc/90
Call Trace:
fib_nhc_update_mtu+0x3df/0x410
fib_sync_mtu+0x7a/0xd0
fib_netdev_event+0x229/0x3f0
netif_set_mtu_ext+0x33a/0x570
dev_set_mtu+0x88/0x120

The same walk updates fnhe_pmtu and fnhe_mtu_locked. These fields form a
pair and other writers serialize them with fnhe_lock. RCU alone prevents
reclamation, but would still allow concurrent writers to leave a mixed
pair.

Walk the table under RCU and acquire fnhe_lock only while updating each
exception. RCU keeps the current entry alive while the short critical
section serializes its paired PMTU fields. This avoids holding the global
lock while scanning all 2048 buckets for every nexthop.
Timeline
Published22 Aug 2026
Updated2 Oct 2026
First seen23 Sep 2026
Sources
AZL-97206 · OSV
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