CVE-2026-99078

Critical

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Prevent stale XSK buffer release on MPWQE refill retry With AF_XDP on a striding RQ, mlx5e defers releasing XSK buffers until an MPWQE is refilled. If XSK allocation then returns -ENOMEM, actual_wq_head is not advanced and a later NAPI poll retries the same WQE. mlx5e_free_rx_mpwqe() leaves each released slot marked as releasable. On retry it can therefore call xsk_buff_free() again through stale pointers after the frames have returned to the XSK pool and been reallocated. Set all skip_release_bitmap bits in the common error path of mlx5e_xsk_alloc_rx_mpwqe(). This matches mlx5e_alloc_rx_mpwqe(). A successful allocation already clears the bitmap after replacing every buffer, so retries become idempotent without changing the success path. Fault injection forced three consecutive failures for one selected MPWQE. Both an early allocation failure and a partial 8-of-16-buffer unwind released the original 16 XSK buffers only once. Each error left a full bitmap, the following NAPI retry skipped the release, and a later successful allocation cleared it. A 20-second AF_XDP zero-copy pressure run exercised 1,575,262 buffer allocation failures without invalid descriptors, WQE errors, or kernel warnings.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-10-23
Last modified 2026-10-24
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

9.8

out of 10
Critical
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.4 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11, 7.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.4
Fixed in
✓ 6.6.160 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.113 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.57 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.11 7.2.x ✓ 7.3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-99078?

    CVE-2026-99078 is a Critical severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.4 onward and has been patched in 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57 and others. CVE-2026-99078 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-99078?

    CVE-2026-99078 has a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10, rated Critical severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-99078?

    Yes. CVE-2026-99078 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.4 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-99078 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-99078 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.