Remote memory exhaustion via TIME_WAIT reference leak
Published Aug 10, 2026 · Updated Aug 10, 2026
A TCP memory leak in Linux kernel 6.18 allows remote attackers to exhaust kernel memory with crafted segments without authentication. The tcp_v4_rcv and tcp_v6_rcv TIME_WAIT PSP-failure paths omit the socket-reference release and discard jump, pinning tcp_tw_bucket and psp_assoc objects. A remote endpoint with a known four-tuple for a previously established PSP connection can repeat the trigger until an out-of-memory condition interrupts the system; no data disclosure or modification is reported.
Summary
What happened
A TCP memory leak in Linux kernel 6.18 allows remote attackers to exhaust kernel memory with crafted segments without authentication. The tcp_v4_rcv and tcp_v6_rcv TIME_WAIT PSP-failure paths omit the socket-reference release and discard jump, pinning tcp_tw_bucket and psp_assoc objects. A remote endpoint with a known four-tuple for a previously established PSP connection can repeat the trigger until an out-of-memory condition interrupts the system; no data disclosure or modification is reported.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-68379
- Published
- Aug 10, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 10, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-911, T1499.001
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 10, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 10, 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.
- Affected versionversion=6.18
- Affected versionversion=659a2899a57da59f433182eba571881884d6323e <2c1931a81122c3cdc4c89448fe0442c69e21c0d5
- Affected versionversion=659a2899a57da59f433182eba571881884d6323e <374742a961becbbfc7fbfd1382d978a05e492741
- Affected versionversion=659a2899a57da59f433182eba571881884d6323e <e666af5dcc905ba694745963174d232deb478c55
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
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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