CVE-2024-26865·Kernel vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rds: tcp: Fix use-after-free of net in reqsk_timer_handler(). syzkaller reported a warning of netns tracker [0] followed by KASAN splat [1] and another ref tracker warning [1]. syzkaller could not find a repro, but in the log, the only suspicious sequence was as follows: 18:26:22 executing program 1: r0 = socket$inet6_mptcp(0xa, 0x1, 0x106) ... connect$inet6(r0, &(0x7f0000000080)={0xa, 0x4001, 0x0, @loopback}, 0x1c) (async) The notable thing here is 0x4001 in connect(), which is RDS_TCP_PORT. So, the scenario would be: 1. unshare(CLONE_NEWNET) creates a per netns tcp listener in rds_tcp_listen_init(). 2. syz-executor connect()s to it and creates a reqsk. 3. syz-executor exit()s immediately. 4. netns is dismantled. [0] 5. reqsk timer is fired, and UAF happens while freeing reqsk. [1] 6. listener is freed after RCU grace period. [2] Basically, reqsk assumes that the listener guarantees netns safety until all reqsk timers are expired by holding the listener's refcount. However, this was not the case for kernel sockets. Commit 740ea3c4a0b2 ("tcp: Clean up kernel listener's reqsk in inet_twsk_purge()") fixed this issue only for per-netns ehash. Let's apply the same fix for the global ehash. [0]: ref_tracker: net notrefcnt@0000000065449cc3 has 1/1 users at sk_alloc (./include/net/net_namespace.h:337 net/core/sock.c:2146) inet6_create (net/ipv6/af_inet6.c:192 net/ipv6/af_inet6.c:119) __sock_create (net/socket.c:1572) rds_tcp_listen_init (net/rds/tcp_listen.c:279) rds_tcp_init_net (net/rds/tcp.c:577) ops_init (net/core/net_namespace.c:137) setup_net (net/core/net_namespace.c:340) copy_net_ns (net/core/net_namespace.c:497) create_new_namespaces (kernel/nsproxy.c:110) unshare_nsproxy_namespaces (kernel/nsproxy.c:228 (discriminator 4)) ksys_unshare (kernel/fork.c:3429) __x64_sys_unshare (kernel/fork.c:3496) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:129) ... WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 27 at lib/ref_tracker.c:179 ref_tracker_dir_exit (lib/ref_tracker.c:179) [1]: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop (./include/net/inet_hashtables.h:180 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:952 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:966) Read of size 8 at addr ffff88801b370400 by task swapper/0/0 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.0-0-gd239552ce722-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <IRQ> dump_stack_lvl (lib/dump_stack.c:107 (discriminator 1)) print_report (mm/kasan/report.c:378 mm/kasan/report.c:488) kasan_report (mm/kasan/report.c:603) inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop (./include/net/inet_hashtables.h:180 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:952 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:966) reqsk_timer_handler (net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:979 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:1092) call_timer_fn (./arch/x86/include/asm/jump_label.h:27 ./include/linux/jump_label.h:207 ./include/trace/events/timer.h:127 kernel/time/timer.c:1701) __run_timers.part.0 (kernel/time/timer.c:1752 kernel/time/timer.c:2038) run_timer_softirq (kernel/time/timer.c:2053) __do_softirq (./arch/x86/include/asm/jump_label.h:27 ./include/linux/jump_label.h:207 ./include/trace/events/irq.h:142 kernel/softirq.c:554) irq_exit_rcu (kernel/softirq.c:427 kernel/softirq.c:632 kernel/softirq.c:644) sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt (arch/x86/kernel/apic/apic.c:1076 (discriminator 14)) </IRQ> Allocated by task 258 on cpu 0 at 83.612050s: kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:48) kasan_save_track (mm/kasan/common.c:68) __kasan_slab_alloc (mm/kasan/common.c:343) kmem_cache_alloc (mm/slub.c:3813 mm/slub.c:3860 mm/slub.c:3867) copy_net_ns (./include/linux/slab.h:701 net/core/net_namespace.c:421 net/core/net_namespace.c:480) create_new_namespaces (kernel/nsproxy.c:110) unshare_nsproxy_name ---truncated---
- Severity
- high
- Software
- Kernel
- Fixed in
- 6.8.2
- Published
- 2024-04-17
Affected versions
From: 6.8
Until: 6.8.2
Fixed in: 6.8.2
How to fix this CVE
Update the Linux kernel to version 6.8.2 or later to fix a use-after-free vulnerability in RDS TCP socket handling that can lead to memory corruption during network namespace teardown. This vulnerability affects kernel versions 6.8 through 6.8.2 and is triggered when RDS TCP listeners are created in isolated network namespaces. Apply the kernel update as soon as possible to prevent potential denial of service or local privilege escalation.
sudo dnf update kernel kernel-develDefensia detects this vulnerability
How to check if you are affected
- Step 1: Check current kernel version with `uname -r` and compare against 6.8.2 (vulnerable if running 6.8.0, 6.8.1, or 6.8.2 without patch)
- Step 2: Verify RDS TCP module is loaded with `lsmod | grep rds` — if present, the vulnerable code path is active
- Step 3: Search system logs for KASAN errors or use-after-free warnings with `grep -i 'KASAN\|use-after-free\|reqsk_timer' /var/log/kern.log`
- Step 4: After patching, reboot and confirm new kernel version with `uname -r`, then verify RDS module still loads without errors in `dmesg`
FAQ
What is CVE-2024-26865?
This vulnerability is a use-after-free bug in the Linux kernel's RDS (Reliable Datagram Sockets) TCP implementation that occurs when network namespaces are destroyed while RDS TCP connection requests are still pending. The kernel incorrectly releases memory referenced by active request socket timers, leading to memory corruption.
Is CVE-2024-26865 being actively exploited?
No, this vulnerability is not currently being actively exploited according to CISA's KEV catalog, and no public exploits are available. However, it requires only local access and can be triggered via namespace manipulation, making it a moderate threat.
What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2024-26865?
Linux kernel versions 6.8 through 6.8.2 are vulnerable. The fix is included in kernel 6.8.2 and later releases in the 6.8.x series.
How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2024-26865?
Run `uname -r` to check your kernel version. If it returns a version between 6.8.0 and 6.8.2, your system is vulnerable. Verify RDS is enabled with `cat /boot/config-$(uname -r) | grep CONFIG_RDS`.
Does Defensia detect CVE-2024-26865?
Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2024-26865 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.
Related Kernel CVEs
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1e9fd5cf8d7f487332560f7bb312fc7d416817f3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a750d6a5b365265dbda33330a6188547ddb5c24
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9905a157048f441f1412e7bd13372f4a971d75c6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ceac040506a05a30b104b2aa2e9146810704500
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f901ee07853ce97e9f1104c7c898fbbe447f0279
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