CVE-2026-68415xfrm: clear mode callbacks after failed mode setup
- 7.8HighCVSS base score
- 0.13%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 97% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: clear mode callbacks after failed mode setup xfrm_state_gc_task can run long after a failed IPTFS state setup. In the reproduced case, __xfrm_init_state() cached x->mode_cbs, IPTFS setup returned -ENOMEM before publishing mode_data, and the temporary module reference from xfrm_get_mode_cbs() was dropped immediately. The dead state then kept x->mode_cbs until deferred GC ran after xfrm_iptfs had been unloaded. Clear x->mode_cbs when mode init or clone fails before publishing mode_data. Those states never installed mode-specific state or the long-term IPTFS module pin, so deferred GC has nothing mode-specific to destroy and must not retain a callback table pointer past the temporary lookup reference. The buggy scenario involves two paths, with each column showing the order within that path: failed setup path: 1. cache x->mode_cbs 2. mode setup fails before mode_data 3. drop the temporary module ref 4. dead state keeps x->mode_cbs cached GC/unload path: 1. xfrm_state_put() queues GC work 2. xfrm_iptfs unloads later 3. xfrm_state_gc_task runs 4. GC dereferences stale x->mode_cbs This also covers the failed clone path where clone_state() returns before publishing mode_data. Validation reproduced this kernel report: Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception CONFIG_FAULT_INJECTION_STACKTRACE_FILTER=y failslab_stacktrace_filter matched xfrm_iptfs frames ack_error=-12 FAULT_INJECTION: forcing a failure BUG: unable to handle page fault Workqueue: events xfrm_state_gc_task RIP: xfrm_state_gc_task+0x142/0x650 Modules linked in: esp4_offload xfrm_user [last unloaded: xfrm_iptfs] Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception
Timeline
ID reserved
By Linux
- 11 days later
· 11 days later
Published
- 7 days later
· 7 days later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinuxCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Received | 3.1 | High7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.13% · top 97% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.8.
Affected products
- affected 4b3faf610cc63bfac972711635eafbca5e7d7117 – < 9845a35986a658816f7752f7ebd7c455a4c7dfdf
- affected 4b3faf610cc63bfac972711635eafbca5e7d7117 – < c37a079230128a5237f45fb4e181bc069a5c2955
- affected 4b3faf610cc63bfac972711635eafbca5e7d7117 – < 2538bd3cd1ff5af655908469544ac7b7ae259386
- affected 6.14
- unaffected < 6.14
- unaffected 6.18.42 – ≤ 6.18.*
- unaffected 7.1.6 – ≤ 7.1.*
- unaffected 7.2 – ≤ *
References
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2026-55601 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2026-68415)Record last updated .