CVE-2026-98490net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc
- 9.8CriticalCVSS base score
- 0.69%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 46% 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: net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc While calling the helpers, a raw pointer to the extensions area is wired into expectations list: -> nf_ct_helper() -> helper->help() -> nf_ct_expect_related_report() -> nf_ct_expect_insert() -> hlist_add_head_rcu(&exp->lnode, &master_help->expectations) In case the connection is not confirmed yet, more extensions can be added afterwards with *_ext_add() calls reallocating the extension space and leaving the now invalid pointer in the expectations list that is later accessed while removing the expectation. Make sure that helpers are called at the end after all the other extensions are already added. Note that the helper rejection now leaves the mark and labels set, but that's not different from how the NAT was handled before or how the mark and the labels were handled on confirmation failure. And there are no atomicity guarantees provided by the API anyway.
Timeline
ID reserved
By Linux
- 23 days later
· 23 days later
Published
- 12 days later
· 12 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 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Received | 3.1 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.69% · top 46% of all CVEs (13 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.8.
Affected products
- affected cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe – < f53d13a286fb275bda0efdf445b8a1e4dfcb717b
- affected cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe – < 84d47a83b7b717576de0defab46b8823a22853b0
- affected cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe – < 9f308197395c1a524b736e401cbc8a2ed7d246c9
- affected cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe – < 18866dc1f525f9ee4de7709529d1ae1af8d8e8be
- affected cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe – < afcf362625190c5260530b1d6c7daa98831f6b83
- affected cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe – < 5f23080a625dd7855ab91485c8d691a54a1979f0
- affected cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe – < e02a83bb0b7a203f6a22f55ad5f426765560f811
- affected cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe – < 1a4151e6be57b098b7a5ebfbde58585e83200cdc
- affected 4.3
- unaffected < 4.3
- unaffected 5.10.273 – ≤ 5.10.*
- unaffected 5.15.224 – ≤ 5.15.*
- unaffected 6.1.191 – ≤ 6.1.*
- unaffected 6.6.160 – ≤ 6.6.*
- unaffected 6.12.112 – ≤ 6.12.*
- unaffected 6.18.55 – ≤ 6.18.*
- unaffected 7.2.9 – ≤ 7.2.*
- unaffected 7.3 – ≤ *
References
References8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f53d13a286fb275bda0efdf445b8a1e4dfcb717b (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84d47a83b7b717576de0defab46b8823a22853b0 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f308197395c1a524b736e401cbc8a2ed7d246c9 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18866dc1f525f9ee4de7709529d1ae1af8d8e8be (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afcf362625190c5260530b1d6c7daa98831f6b83 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f23080a625dd7855ab91485c8d691a54a1979f0 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e02a83bb0b7a203f6a22f55ad5f426765560f811 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1a4151e6be57b098b7a5ebfbde58585e83200cdc (opens in a new tab)
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-2026-103730 (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-2026-98490)Record last updated .