Kernel memory exhaustion via oversized NTB transmissions
Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Sep 11, 2026
Resource leak in the Linux NTB transport allows local users to consume kernel memory by sending oversized packets through NTB Netdev. ntb_process_tx() reports success after invoking tx_handler() with a NULL data pointer for an oversized buffer, so neither completion nor enqueue-error handling frees the skb. Access to an NTB Netdev interface backed by Non-Transparent Bridge hardware is required; repeated transmissions exhaust memory and interrupt service.
Summary
What happened
Resource leak in the Linux NTB transport allows local users to consume kernel memory by sending oversized packets through NTB Netdev. ntb_process_tx() reports success after invoking tx_handler() with a NULL data pointer for an oversized buffer, so neither completion nor enqueue-error handling frees the skb. Access to an NTB Netdev interface backed by Non-Transparent Bridge hardware is required; repeated transmissions exhaust memory and interrupt service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-80987
- Published
- Sep 11, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.003
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 11, 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=3.9
- Affected versionversion=fce8a7bb5b4bfb8a27324703fd5b002ee9247e90 <6b6bbc6c878d64eacc60877df49fce7b1b6a08d0
- Affected versionversion=fce8a7bb5b4bfb8a27324703fd5b002ee9247e90 <75a604e9f1cfdebda421062fdf42225ca32154cd
- Affected versionversion=fce8a7bb5b4bfb8a27324703fd5b002ee9247e90 <a4f2387db6f1cc2f03abba7f3a6807ad61e26ff7
- Affected versionversion=fce8a7bb5b4bfb8a27324703fd5b002ee9247e90 <a7f22105a7df8c7fd74d0af27ace6fa94fe03d87
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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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