CVE-2026-53227

Kernel crash via invalid ERR_PTR free

Published Jun 25, 2026 · Updated Jun 25, 2026

Improper memory cleanup in the Linux Kernel Open vSwitch datapath allows local users to crash the kernel after an skb allocation failure. In net/openvswitch/datapath.c, an error path leaves the reply skb as an ERR_PTR and passes that invalid pointer to kfree_skb after releasing ovs_mutex. Low-privileged local access and a failed reply allocation are required, and the documented consequence is a kernel crash without data disclosure or modification.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.13%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

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Summary

What happened

Improper memory cleanup in the Linux Kernel Open vSwitch datapath allows local users to crash the kernel after an skb allocation failure. In net/openvswitch/datapath.c, an error path leaves the reply skb as an ERR_PTR and passes that invalid pointer to kfree_skb after releasing ovs_mutex. Low-privileged local access and a failed reply allocation are required, and the documented consequence is a kernel crash without data disclosure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-53227
Published
Jun 25, 2026
Updated
Jun 25, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jun 25, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.16
  2. Affected versionversion=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <0bb5b2dc1b90aa7dd1473fc8c4d813a29255ff8d
  3. Affected versionversion=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <25fdf53698535fe8790237f5a8a9626791429785
  4. Affected versionversion=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <895d1dd9057cde1687fa0f4286d47ceed0b82997
  5. Affected versionversion=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <971b1b37774f13acc5add0a2843f8598446b8598
  6. Affected versionversion=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <e248fb2e680deb2bd37bac551b72638fe4938a76
  7. Affected versionversion=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <e3d509a1b71396e1452060dbf84a805fd1c3c549
  8. Affected versionversion=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <ecc55aad3390129a87106841f4b68bf3d70c9264
  9. Affected versionversion=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <ee30dd2909d8b98619f4341c70ec8dc8e155ab02

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=3.16; version=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <0bb5b2dc1b90aa7dd1473fc8c4d813a29255ff8d; version=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <25fdf53698535fe8790237f5a8a9626791429785; version=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <895d1dd9057cde1687fa0f4286d47ceed0b82997; version=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <971b1b37774f13acc5add0a2843f8598446b8598; version=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <e248fb2e680deb2bd37bac551b72638fe4938a76; version=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <e3d509a1b71396e1452060dbf84a805fd1c3c549; version=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <ecc55aad3390129a87106841f4b68bf3d70c9264; version=893f139b9a6c00c097b9082a90f3041cfb3a0d20 <ee30dd2909d8b98619f4341c70ec8dc8e155ab02

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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