critical CVSS 9.8 EPSS 0.46%

CVE-2026-99078·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Prevent stale XSK buffer release on MPWQE refill retry With AF_XDP on a striding RQ, mlx5e defers releasing XSK buffers until an MPWQE is refilled. If XSK allocation then returns -ENOMEM, actual_wq_head is not advanced and a later NAPI poll retries the same WQE. mlx5e_free_rx_mpwqe() leaves each released slot marked as releasable. On retry it can therefore call xsk_buff_free() again through stale pointers after the frames have returned to the XSK pool and been reallocated. Set all skip_release_bitmap bits in the common error path of mlx5e_xsk_alloc_rx_mpwqe(). This matches mlx5e_alloc_rx_mpwqe(). A successful allocation already clears the bitmap after replacing every buffer, so retries become idempotent without changing the success path. Fault injection forced three consecutive failures for one selected MPWQE. Both an early allocation failure and a partial 8-of-16-buffer unwind released the original 16 XSK buffers only once. Each error left a full bitmap, the following NAPI retry skipped the release, and a later successful allocation cleared it. A 20-second AF_XDP zero-copy pressure run exercised 1,575,262 buffer allocation failures without invalid descriptors, WQE errors, or kernel warnings.

Severity
critical
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11, 7.3
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.46% — higher than 39% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2026-99078 scores 9.8 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at 0.46%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to a patched version to resolve this AF_XDP buffer management vulnerability. If you run kernel 6.6.x, update to 6.6.160 or later; for 6.12.x upgrade to 6.12.113+; for 6.18.x move to 6.18.57+; for 7.2.x upgrade to 7.2.11+. Alternatively, install your distribution's patched kernel package rather than jumping to mainline. A system reboot is required after kernel update.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check installed kernel version: uname -r
  2. Verify if AF_XDP/XSK is in use: grep -r 'XDP\|xsk' /proc/config.gz 2>/dev/null || cat /boot/config-$(uname -r) | grep XDP
  3. Review kernel logs for memory allocation failures on XSK buffers: journalctl -k | grep -i 'enomem\|xsk\|mpwqe'
  4. Confirm patch application by checking kernel commit: git log --oneline | grep -i 'stale XSK' || dmesg | grep -i 'mlx5'

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-99078?

This vulnerability affects the Linux kernel's AF_XDP socket implementation on Mellanox MLX5 network drivers. When XSK memory allocation fails during striding RQ (receive queue) refill, the kernel could attempt to free already-recycled buffers on retry, leading to memory corruption and potential privilege escalation.

Is CVE-2026-99078 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are currently available. However, the CVSS score of 9.8 indicates critical risk for systems using AF_XDP with Mellanox hardware.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2026-99078?

Affected kernel versions: 6.6.0–6.6.159, 6.12.0–6.12.112, 6.18.0–6.18.56, 7.2.0–7.2.10, and all earlier mainline versions. Fixed in: 6.6.160+, 6.12.113+, 6.18.57+, 7.2.11+, and mainline 7.3+.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2026-99078?

Run 'uname -r' to check your kernel version. If it's below 6.6.160 (or respective branch fix) AND your system uses AF_XDP or Mellanox MLX5 drivers (check 'ethtool -i eth0' or 'lspci | grep Mellanox'), your system is vulnerable.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2026-99078?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2026-99078 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps tailored to your kernel branch.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63795CVSS 10In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: 9p: avoid putting oldfid in p9_client_walk() error path When p9_client_walk() is called with clone set to false, fid aliases oldfid. If the walk subsequently fails after the request has been sent, the error path jumps to clunk_fid, which currently calls p9_fid_put(fid) unconditionally. This drops a reference to oldfid even though ownership of oldfid remains with the caller. If this is the last reference, oldfid can be clunked and destroyed while the caller still expects it to be valid. A later use or put of oldfid can then trigger a use-after-free or refcount underflow. Fix this by only putting fid in the clunk_fid error path when it does not alias oldfid, matching the existing guard in the error path below. This can be triggered when a multi-component walk is split into multiple p9_client_walk() calls and a later non-cloning walk fails. A reproducer and refcount warning logs are available on request.
CVE-2026-64160CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfs: Fix potential for tearing in ->remote_i_size and ->zero_point Fix potential tearing in using ->remote_i_size and ->zero_point by copying i_size_read() and i_size_write() and using the same seqcount as for i_size. We need to make sure that netfslib and the filesystems that use it always hold i_lock whilst updating any of the sizes to prevent i_size_seqcount from getting corrupted.
CVE-2026-64125CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bcmgenet: keep RBUF EEE/PM disabled Setting RBUF_EEE_EN | RBUF_PM_EN in RBUF_ENERGY_CTRL breaks the RX path on GENET hardware once MAC EEE becomes active. RX traffic stops flowing while the link stays up and the usual descriptor/RX error counters remain quiet. In that state the MAC still accepts frames (rbuf_ovflow_cnt keeps climbing) but RBUF no longer forwards them to DMA, so rx_packets is no longer incremented at the netdev level. On some boards the corruption ends up as a paging fault in skb_release_data via bcmgenet_rx_poll on an LPI exit. Reproduced on Pi 4B (BCM2711 + BCM54213PE) and confirmed by Florian Fainelli on an internal Broadcom 4908-family board with the same crash signature. RBUF_PM_EN is not publicly documented. This shows up more often now that phy_support_eee() enables EEE by default, but it also affects older kernels as soon as TX LPI is turned on via ethtool, so it is not specific to recent changes. Always clear RBUF_EEE_EN | RBUF_PM_EN in bcmgenet_eee_enable_set so the bits stay off across resets. UMAC and TBUF setup is left alone so TX-side EEE keeps working.
CVE-2026-64136CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: protect tc_count increment in smb2_find_smb_sess_tcon_unlocked() Commit 96c4af418586 ("cifs: Fix locking usage for tcon fields") refactored cifs code to change cifs_tcp_ses_lock for tc_lock around tc_count changes. There was missing lock around tc_count increment inside smb2_find_smb_sess_tcon_unlocked().
CVE-2026-53399CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: release layout stid on setlease failure nfs4_alloc_stid() publishes the new stid into cl->cl_stateids via idr_alloc_cyclic() under cl_lock before returning to nfsd4_alloc_layout_stateid(). When nfsd4_layout_setlease() then fails, the error path frees the layout stateid directly with kmem_cache_free() without ever calling idr_remove(), leaving the IDR slot pointing at freed slab memory. Any subsequent IDR walker (states_show, client teardown) dereferences the dangling pointer. The correct teardown for an IDR-published stid is nfs4_put_stid(), which removes the IDR slot under cl_lock, dispatches sc_free (nfsd4_free_layout_stateid) to release ls->ls_file via nfsd4_close_layout(), and drops the nfs4_file reference in its tail. A second issue blocks that switch: nfsd4_free_layout_stateid() unconditionally inspects ls->ls_fence_work via delayed_work_pending() under ls_lock, but INIT_DELAYED_WORK(&ls->ls_fence_work, ...) currently runs only after the setlease call. On the setlease-failure path the destructor would touch an uninitialized delayed_work. nfsd4_alloc_layout_stateid() nfs4_alloc_stid() /* idr_alloc_cyclic under cl_lock */ nfsd4_layout_setlease() /* fails */ nfs4_put_stid() nfsd4_free_layout_stateid() delayed_work_pending(&ls->ls_fence_work) /* needs INIT */ nfsd4_close_layout() /* nfsd_file_put(ls->ls_file) */ put_nfs4_file() Fix by hoisting the ls_fenced / ls_fence_delay / INIT_DELAYED_WORK initialization above the nfsd4_layout_setlease() call, and replace the manual nfsd_file_put + put_nfs4_file + kmem_cache_free cleanup with a single nfs4_put_stid(stp).

References

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