CVE-2026-53264
net/sched: act_api: use RCU with deferred freeing for action lifecycle
Vexday Risk Score
3Low
SSVC decision (CISA)
Track
No exploitation signal → monitor
CVSS —EPSS 0.2%KEV nãoPoC —Nuclei —Metasploit —Patch —
Lifecycle
25 Jun 2026Published on NVD
Recommendation: Monitor — no exploitation signal at the moment.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/sched: act_api: use RCU with deferred freeing for action lifecycle
When NEWTFILTER and DELFILTER are run concurrently it is possible to create a
race with an associated action.
Let's illustrate with CPU0 running NEWTFILTER and CPU1 running DELFILTER:
0: mutex_lock() <-- holds the idr lock
0: rcu_read_lock()
0: p = idr_find(idr, index) <-- action p is valid (RCU protects IDR)
0: mutex_unlock() <-- releases the idr lock
1: refcount_dec_and_mutex_lock() <-- refcnt 1->0, mutex held
1: idr_remove(idr, index) <-- Action removed from IDR
1: mutex_unlock() <-- mutex released allowing us to delete the action
1: tcf_action_cleanup(p); kfree(p) <-- Kfrees p immediately, no deferral
0: refcount_inc_not_zero(&p->tcfa_refcnt) <-- ouch, UAF p points to freed memory
This patch fixes the race condition between NEWTFILTER and DELFILTER by
adding struct rcu_head to tc_action used in the deferral and introducing a
call_rcu() in the delete path to defer the final kfree().
Note: this is a revert of commit d7fb60b9cafb ("net_sched: get rid of tcfa_rcu")
but also modernization/simplification to directly use kfree_rcu().
Let's illustrate the new restored code path:
0: rcu_read_lock()
1: refcount_dec_and_mutex_lock() <-- refcnt 1->0, mutex held
1: idr_remove(idr, index)
1: mutex_unlock()
1: call_rcu(&p->tcfa_rcu, tcf_action_rcu_free) <-- defer kfree after grace period
0: p = idr_find(idr, index)
0: refcount_inc_not_zero(&p->tcfa_refcnt) <-- fails, refcnt already 0
1: rcu_read_unlock() <-- release so freeing can run after grace period
After CPU1 calls idr_remove(), the object is no longer reachable through the IDR.
CPU0's subsequent idr_find() will return NULL, and even if it still held a
stale pointer, the immediate kfree() is now deferred until after the RCU grace
period, so no UAF can occur.
Affected products
Linux · LinuxWant to know if your infrastructure is exposed to this?
Talk to TrueHacking →References
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18af5d2ef0c4f65787fd1280c8b23286b9f2a835https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1f1b98fea6b9ea30507d0f2fbff6750292d097e2https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5057e1aca011e51ef51498c940ef96f3d3e8a305https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5dd51e09020c65aa53cf128e5e3517cd53b3c113https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b136f18ac4b2ace5aaad3305b3f8a5d8165a009https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/91d105d2cbe002f9c7b43a6183adedc37e1da1f7https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98b2e40879abf0245be5a5b7af69e0f6ff524ac3https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b60e9391142e983fab2be53497aa8f71fdd09cd5