Host denial of service via conntrack template leak
Published Aug 22, 2026 · Updated Aug 25, 2026
Memory leak in Linux kernel 5.3 and later allows remote attackers to exhaust host memory via non-IP frames sent to a configured bridge. nf_ct_bridge_pre() replaces skb->_nfct with IP_CT_UNTRACKED without dropping a conntrack-template reference already attached by a bridge nftables ct zone set rule. Repeated non-IPv4/IPv6 traffic reaches the flaw only when that rule precedes bridge conntrack processing, and leaked slab memory can stop the host.
Summary
What happened
Memory leak in Linux kernel 5.3 and later allows remote attackers to exhaust host memory via non-IP frames sent to a configured bridge. nf_ct_bridge_pre() replaces skb->_nfct with IP_CT_UNTRACKED without dropping a conntrack-template reference already attached by a bridge nftables ct zone set rule. Repeated non-IPv4/IPv6 traffic reaches the flaw only when that rule precedes bridge conntrack processing, and leaked slab memory can stop the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74625
- Published
- Aug 22, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 25, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-772, CWE-401, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 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.
- Affected versionversion=3c171f496ef57774f8e5d509923372549734877f <46d559f00b1ab1d114f92d2f16c5ef0093b3b9dd
- Affected versionversion=3c171f496ef57774f8e5d509923372549734877f <6ea88401e10e04e0b3bb7a7adea54932fb60b93b
- Affected versionversion=3c171f496ef57774f8e5d509923372549734877f <7cff440d702616022769f2643168d7f9820547a0
- Affected versionversion=3c171f496ef57774f8e5d509923372549734877f <bd7b16494dacf87e9336a1dcfdada83b9e40edd6
- Affected versionversion=3c171f496ef57774f8e5d509923372549734877f <c58d34fe8b7e47bb0b350a7625023b1261342be5
- Affected versionversion=3c171f496ef57774f8e5d509923372549734877f <d45cc8020d7c0a9f01dee42ff5c40bc14c9af72f
- Affected versionversion=3c171f496ef57774f8e5d509923372549734877f <daa6e070f8e1e7a4dddec8b64ca37663f8cda917
- Affected versionversion=3c171f496ef57774f8e5d509923372549734877f <fc90df37540627d092af770215fb4b7befe9409b
- Affected versionversion=5.3
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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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