Local privilege escalation via unserialized rule destruction
Published Dec 27, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in Linux kernel nf_tables 6.6.61 through 6.6.66 and 6.11.8 through 6.12.5 allows local users to gain kernel privileges. Rule destruction runs from call_rcu without the transaction mutex or an intervening synchronize_rcu, so deactivation callbacks race reference-count and object updates. An unprivileged local user can obtain CAP_NET_ADMIN in a user namespace, trigger the path through netlink, and cause kernel memory disclosure, corruption, or a panic.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux kernel nf_tables 6.6.61 through 6.6.66 and 6.11.8 through 6.12.5 allows local users to gain kernel privileges. Rule destruction runs from call_rcu without the transaction mutex or an intervening synchronize_rcu, so deactivation callbacks race reference-count and object updates. An unprivileged local user can obtain CAP_NET_ADMIN in a user namespace, trigger the path through netlink, and cause kernel memory disclosure, corruption, or a panic.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-56655
- Published
- Dec 27, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 27, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=558f503f707f481bbf40efa74a938b8021df841d <2991dc357a28b61c13ed1f7b59e9251e2b4562fb
- Affected versionversion=6.11.8 <6.12
- Affected versionversion=6.12
- Affected versionversion=6.6.61 <6.6.67
- Affected versionversion=9eee6097ffb26cdd2adb988c0d378fa0d650c737 <5146c27b2780aac59876a887a5f4e793b8949862
- Affected versionversion=a394c160d57f4b083bd904a22802f6fb7f5b3cea <b8d8f53e1858178882b881b8c09f94ef0e83bf76
- Affected versionversion=bfd05c68e4c6320304e9f371ffa356b6e4b9cc53 <27f0574253f6c24c8ee4e3f0a685b75ed3a256ed
- Affected versionversion=c03d278fdf35e73dd0ec543b9b556876b9d9a8dc <7cf0bd232b565d9852cb25fd094f77254773e048
- Affected versionversion=c03d278fdf35e73dd0ec543b9b556876b9d9a8dc <b04df3da1b5c6f6dc7cdccc37941740c078c4043
- Affected versionversion=cb401e5799e0acacb405f2128097e9c4ccf82f8a
- Affected versionversion=e6c32a64d61184c2bdf89442b3d31ef530afba34 <b0f013bebf94fe7ae75e5a53be2f2bd1cc1841e3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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