CVE-2026-74543

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: udp_tunnel: fix memory leak in udp_tunnel_nic_unregister() syzbot reported a memory leak [1] in the UDP tunnel NIC offload code. When device registration fails (e.g. in register_netdevice()), netdev core unwinds by sending a single NETDEV_UNREGISTER notification. If work was queued during NETDEV_REGISTER (utn->work_pending is set), udp_tunnel_nic_unregister() returns early: if (utn->work_pending) return; Because failed registrations do not enter netdev_wait_allrefs_any(), no subsequent NETDEV_UNREGISTER rebroadcast will ever occur. As a result, the struct udp_tunnel_nic allocated in udp_tunnel_nic_alloc() is leaked permanently. Fix this by removing the early return. Instead, synchronously cancel any pending work with cancel_delayed_work_sync() before freeing @utn. To be able to call cancel_delayed_work_sync() while holding RTNL (the work also needs RTNL), switch udp_tunnel_nic_device_sync_work() to rtnl_trylock(). If RTNL is contended, requeue the work with a 1 jiffy delay (via queue_delayed_work()) to prevent high CPU contention while waiting for RTNL lock. The utn->work_pending bookkeeping is no longer needed and is removed, as the workqueue core already tracks the pending/running state of the work. [1] BUG: memory leak unreferenced object 0xffff888127d5f840 (size 96): comm "syz-executor", pid 5806, jiffies 4294942188 backtrace (crc 99fdb6c8): __kmalloc_noprof+0x3bf/0x550 udp_tunnel_nic_alloc net/ipv4/udp_tunnel_nic.c:756 [inline] udp_tunnel_nic_register net/ipv4/udp_tunnel_nic.c:833 [inline] udp_tunnel_nic_netdevice_event+0x804/0xab0 net/ipv4/udp_tunnel_nic.c:931 notifier_call_chain+0x59/0x160 kernel/notifier.c:85 call_netdevice_notifiers_info+0x7d/0xb0 net/core/dev.c:2250 register_netdevice+0xc10/0xeb0 net/core/dev.c:11478

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-08-15
Last modified 2026-08-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.9 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.103, 6.18.44, 7.1.8, 7.2-rc6 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.9
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.103 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.44 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.8 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc6

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-74543?

    CVE-2026-74543 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.9 onward and has been patched in 6.12.103, 6.18.44, 7.1.8 and others. CVE-2026-74543 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-74543?

    Yes. CVE-2026-74543 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.103, 6.18.44, 7.1.8 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.9 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-74543 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-74543 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.