Kernel panic via orphaned peeked packet
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel allows remote attackers to panic affected hosts through ordinary egress traffic. The taprio software dequeue path calls a child qdisc directly after peek, ignoring the packet stashed in gso_skb and desynchronizing qlen and backlog before QFQ re-enters an empty list. Exposure requires a preconfigured taprio hierarchy with a non-work-conserving QFQ child on the software path; triggering traffic then causes a kernel panic without host credentials.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel allows remote attackers to panic affected hosts through ordinary egress traffic. The taprio software dequeue path calls a child qdisc directly after peek, ignoring the packet stashed in gso_skb and desynchronizing qlen and backlog before QFQ re-enters an empty list. Exposure requires a preconfigured taprio hierarchy with a non-work-conserving QFQ child on the software path; triggering traffic then causes a kernel panic without host credentials.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-72035
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 15, 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=4.20
- Affected versionversion=5a781ccbd19e4664babcbe4b4ead7aa2b9283d22 <18d580cb00c55805633bae45e90cf22ed6b8e424
- Affected versionversion=5a781ccbd19e4664babcbe4b4ead7aa2b9283d22 <2dcebbd1ad2e180fe7b98bf346ced69a872e11e6
- Affected versionversion=5a781ccbd19e4664babcbe4b4ead7aa2b9283d22 <6ee5a7665a9080bcb05d703bf981a579436fd05e
- Affected versionversion=5a781ccbd19e4664babcbe4b4ead7aa2b9283d22 <e056e1dfcddca877dd46d704e8ec9860cfc9ec44
- Affected versionversion=5a781ccbd19e4664babcbe4b4ead7aa2b9283d22 <e2b7ee61989f2d39df6c2cc06f9db1aea69bdb09
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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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