CVE-2026-74623
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: atlantic: free stranded TX buffers on ring deinit aq_vec_deinit() drains the TX rings with a single aq_ring_tx_clean() call, which frees at most AQ_CFG_TX_CLEAN_BUDGET (256) descriptors and stops at hw_head, which no longer moves once aq_vec_stop() has stopped the hardware and NAPI. Completed descriptors beyond the budget and everything still posted in [hw_head, sw_tail) keep their skb or xdp_frame when the interface goes down: aq_vec_ring_free() then frees the buffer ring and the references are lost for good. Today this is a silent memory leak on every interface down under TX/XDP_TX load. With the conversion of the RX path to page_pool posted for net-next it becomes much more visible: XDP_TX frames carry fragment references on the RX ring's page_pool, so a single stranded frame keeps the pool's inflight count above zero forever. page_pool_destroy() then never completes, the pool is leaked together with its pages, and "page_pool_release_retry() stalled pool shutdown" is warned every 60 seconds from that point on, on every ifdown, XDP detach or ring resize under XDP_TX load. Bring back aq_ring_tx_deinit() as it was before the removal and use it for teardown again, with one extension: TX rings can hold xdp_frames nowadays, so release those too. They are returned with xdp_return_frame() since this runs in process context.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
4.11
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.1.183,
6.6.152,
6.12.104,
6.18.45,
7.1.9,
7.2
and their respective stable series.
References
6 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-74623?
CVE-2026-74623 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.11 onward and has been patched in 6.1.183, 6.6.152, 6.12.104 and others. CVE-2026-74623 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-2026-74623?
Yes. CVE-2026-74623 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.183, 6.6.152, 6.12.104 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.11 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-74623 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-74623 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.