Memory exhaustion via leaked packet buffers
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
Resource leak in affected Linux kernel releases from 4.3 allows local users to exhaust memory through crafted Open vSwitch actions. The ovs_flow_key_update() failure path returns without freeing its skb when connection-tracking actions make a previously parseable packet unparseable. Repeatedly reaching this rare state leaks packet buffers and can interrupt service through memory exhaustion; no data access or modification is reported.
Summary
What happened
Resource leak in affected Linux kernel releases from 4.3 allows local users to exhaust memory through crafted Open vSwitch actions. The ovs_flow_key_update() failure path returns without freeing its skb when connection-tracking actions make a previously parseable packet unparseable. Repeatedly reaching this rare state leaks packet buffers and can interrupt service through memory exhaustion; no data access or modification is reported.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74464
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-772, T1499
- 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=4.3
- Affected versionversion=ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386 <393f3c72600ab6721d732a0ab245bc896c5b28fc
- Affected versionversion=ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386 <736e972f3f8a304158345223ac6e816166a467ce
- Affected versionversion=ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386 <bc62e843bc48f933da765ce47079fd992e535794
- Affected versionversion=ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386 <e0ba8eaef2a0d02a7a485e6a7157e47272b65cea
- Affected versionversion=ec0d043d05e6e3c0c2fac5de922c800c027c6386 <e84dfaac50aab45ad8c670da43e3aa1f97bd2a41
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
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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