CVE-2026-52981
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: neigh: let neigh_xmit take skb ownership neigh_xmit always releases the skb, except when no neighbour table is found. But even the first added user of neigh_xmit (mpls) relied on neigh_xmit to release the skb (or queue it for tx). sashiko reported: If neigh_xmit() is called with an uninitialized neighbor table (for example, NEIGH_ND_TABLE when IPv6 is disabled), it returns -EAFNOSUPPORT and bypasses its internal out_kfree_skb error path. Because the return value of neigh_xmit() is ignored here, does this leak the SKB? Assume full ownership and remove the last code path that doesn't xmit or free skb.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
4.1
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.1.175,
6.6.141,
6.12.91,
6.18.33,
7.0.10,
7.1
and their respective stable series.
References
6 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-52981?
CVE-2026-52981 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.1 onward and has been patched in 6.1.175, 6.6.141, 6.12.91 and others. CVE-2026-52981 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-52981?
Yes — CVE-2026-52981 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.175, 6.6.141, 6.12.91 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.1 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-52981 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2026-52981 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.