Kernel memory corruption via stale timeout reference
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
Use-after-free in Linux kernel netfilter connection timeouts allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through a stale policy reference. Control-plane deletion can release an nf_ct_timeout object while a conntrack extension or queued packet still retains it because the old reference count does not track dataplane use. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and custom conntrack timeouts; corruption can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux kernel netfilter connection timeouts allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through a stale policy reference. Control-plane deletion can release an nf_ct_timeout object while a conntrack extension or queued packet still retains it because the old reference count does not track dataplane use. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and custom conntrack timeouts; corruption can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74347
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-398, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
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?
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- Affected versionversion=3.4
- Affected versionversion=50978462300f74dc48aea4a38471cb69bdf741a5 <7d6a9cdb8d3a51d9cfe546a09a518ab3d2671549
- Affected versionversion=50978462300f74dc48aea4a38471cb69bdf741a5 <9aeb0dcfeb460d33d61d434148b51103ab1d2013
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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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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