Kernel crash via unchecked multi-buffer allocation
Published Sep 17, 2026 · Updated Sep 17, 2026
Null pointer dereference in Linux AF_XDP allows local users to crash the kernel via invalid fill-ring addresses. In net/xdp/xsk.c, __xsk_rcv() trusts the entry count from xsk_buff_can_alloc() and dereferences unchecked xsk_buff_alloc() results when invalid addresses exhaust usable buffers. Triggering requires access to an AF_XDP fill ring and packet reception through the configured multi-buffer path; the reported failure is a kernel fault, not data access or code execution.
Summary
What happened
Null pointer dereference in Linux AF_XDP allows local users to crash the kernel via invalid fill-ring addresses. In net/xdp/xsk.c, __xsk_rcv() trusts the entry count from xsk_buff_can_alloc() and dereferences unchecked xsk_buff_alloc() results when invalid addresses exhaust usable buffers. Triggering requires access to an AF_XDP fill ring and packet reception through the configured multi-buffer path; the reported failure is a kernel fault, not data access or code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-90115
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 17, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 17, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 17, 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=6.6
- Affected versionversion=804627751b4281dd95148e7564759145da67855e <214fb79b0379cb0214905632a2537c0c33f594eb
- Affected versionversion=804627751b4281dd95148e7564759145da67855e <60d7d3559ce66e227e195e9463cdfed8077c8659
- Affected versionversion=804627751b4281dd95148e7564759145da67855e <8341bd3ff126d85bc8c4ed52eedcaa5b1a65f194
- Affected versionversion=804627751b4281dd95148e7564759145da67855e <aaebce297efc3e3dccb98a6ff838cfaa47db08db
- Affected versionversion=804627751b4281dd95148e7564759145da67855e <e37b2abca80473e106176e41712a369fd2f72117
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What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
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