What is CVE-2026-53212?

CVE-2026-53212 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, classified as a Use After Free flaw (CWE-416), affecting Linux kernel versions from 4.19 onward and patched in 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176 and others. CVE-2026-53212 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-53212?

CVE-2026-53212 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-53212?

Yes, CVE-2026-53212 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.19 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2026-53212 actively exploited?

CVE-2026-53212 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is Use After Free (CWE-416)?

The product references memory after it has been freed, which may cause it to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/416.html

CVE-2026-53212

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nft_tunnel: fix use-after-free on object destroy nft_tunnel_obj_destroy() calls metadata_dst_free() which directly kfree()s the metadata_dst, ignoring the dst_entry refcount. Packets that took a reference via dst_hold() in nft_tunnel_obj_eval() and are still queued (e.g. in a netem qdisc) are left with a dangling pointer. When these packets are eventually dequeued, dst_release() operates on freed memory. Replace metadata_dst_free() with dst_release() so the metadata_dst is freed only after all references are dropped. The dst subsystem already handles metadata_dst cleanup in dst_destroy() when DST_METADATA is set.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2026-06-25

Last modified 2026-07-02

CVSS version 3.1

Patch available

Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

7.8

out of 10

High

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-416

CVE-2026-53212 is a Use After Free vulnerability

What is Use After Free?

The product references memory after it has been freed, which may cause it to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.19 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176, 6.6.143, 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13, 7.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 4.19

Fixed in

✓ 5.10.259 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.210 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.176 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.143 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.94 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.36 6.18.x ✓ 7.0.13 7.0.x ✓ 7.1

References

8 total

Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/349df61526d2e39decc685d246202e3e284cfe05

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/55b79b1ae42372012413ce0413181d26679b17ef

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5e9ee18b27fde88cb6148202b33916c66693fe82

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8767fe4079affa74314d7eb3220e700150289842

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/941d7394efda5e054e2d6f3e0dd0f6a9ba19aaa3

Patch

Showing 5 of 8 references View all on NVD

Details

CVE ID CVE-2026-53212

Severity High

CVSS score 7.8 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2026-06-25

Modified 2026-07-02

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-53212?

CVE-2026-53212 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 , classified as an Use After Free flaw (CWE-416) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.19 onward and has been patched in 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176 and others. CVE-2026-53212 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-53212?

CVE-2026-53212 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-53212?

Yes. CVE-2026-53212 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.19 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2026-53212 actively exploited?

No. CVE-2026-53212 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.