In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/packet: defer vmalloc TX_RING free until skbs finish
AF_PACKET TX_RING skbs keep a raw pointer to their ring frame. The skb
page references preserve page-backed ring blocks after pg_vec is freed,
but they do not preserve a vmalloc mapping.
tpacket_destruct_skb() currently drops the pending reference before
writing the timestamp and TP_STATUS_AVAILABLE to the frame. Move the
decrement after those stores. The smp_wmb() in __packet_set_status()
orders the frame stores before the decrement.
Also recheck pending TX frames under pg_vec_lock before non-closing
ring replacement, so a racing send cannot add a pending skb between
the initial check and the ring swap.
Ring allocation can produce a mixture of page-backed and vmalloc-backed
blocks. Allocate deferred-work storage during TX ring setup when the
first vmalloc-backed block is encountered, and keep its pointer in the
pg_vec allocation header. If allocation fails, return -ENOMEM from ring
setup. On socket close, a non-NULL pointer identifies a vmalloc-backed
vector without a scan. If TX skbs remain, defer the whole vector to
system_long_wq.
After pg_vec is detached, a late destructor can skip the pending
decrement. Use socket write-memory accounting as the deferred lifetime
gate instead: an skb remains charged through its final sock_wfree(),
after all ring-frame accesses. The delayed work retains a socket
reference and reschedules itself until no TX skbs remain.
Move pending_refcnt release to packet_sock_destruct() so late skb
destructors and deferred cleanup can safely use it after
packet_release(). Page-backed teardown remains synchronous, and no lock
is added to the TX completion hot path.
net/packet: defer vmalloc TX_RING free until skbs finish
AF_PACKET TX_RING skbs keep a raw pointer to their ring frame. The skb
page references preserve page-backed ring blocks after pg_vec is freed,
but they do not preserve a vmalloc mapping.
tpacket_destruct_skb() currently drops the pending reference before
writing the timestamp and TP_STATUS_AVAILABLE to the frame. Move the
decrement after those stores. The smp_wmb() in __packet_set_status()
orders the frame stores before the decrement.
Also recheck pending TX frames under pg_vec_lock before non-closing
ring replacement, so a racing send cannot add a pending skb between
the initial check and the ring swap.
Ring allocation can produce a mixture of page-backed and vmalloc-backed
blocks. Allocate deferred-work storage during TX ring setup when the
first vmalloc-backed block is encountered, and keep its pointer in the
pg_vec allocation header. If allocation fails, return -ENOMEM from ring
setup. On socket close, a non-NULL pointer identifies a vmalloc-backed
vector without a scan. If TX skbs remain, defer the whole vector to
system_long_wq.
After pg_vec is detached, a late destructor can skip the pending
decrement. Use socket write-memory accounting as the deferred lifetime
gate instead: an skb remains charged through its final sock_wfree(),
after all ring-frame accesses. The delayed work retains a socket
reference and reschedules itself until no TX skbs remain.
Move pending_refcnt release to packet_sock_destruct() so late skb
destructors and deferred cleanup can safely use it after
packet_release(). Page-backed teardown remains synchronous, and no lock
is added to the TX completion hot path.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/packet: defer vmalloc TX_RING free until skbs finish AF_PACKET TX_RING skbs keep a raw pointer to their ring frame. The skb page references preserve page-backed ring blocks after pg_vec is freed, but they do not preserve a vmalloc mapping. tpacket_destruct_skb() currently drops the pending reference before writing the timestamp and TP_STATUS_AVAILABLE to the frame. Move the decrement after those stores. The smp_wmb() in __packet_set_status() orders the frame stores before the decrement. Also recheck pending TX frames under pg_vec_lock before non-closing ring replacement, so a racing send cannot add a pending skb between the initial check and the ring swap. Ring allocation can produce a mixture of page-backed and vmalloc-backed blocks. Allocate deferred-work storage during TX ring setup when the first vmalloc-backed block is encountered, and keep its pointer in the pg_vec allocation header. If allocation fails, return -ENOMEM from ring setup. On socket close, a non-NULL pointer identifies a vmalloc-backed vector without a scan. If TX skbs remain, defer the whole vector to system_long_wq. After pg_vec is detached, a late destructor can skip the pending decrement. Use socket write-memory accounting as the deferred lifetime gate instead: an skb remains charged through its final sock_wfree(), after all ring-frame accesses. The delayed work retains a socket reference and reschedules itself until no TX skbs remain. Move pending_refcnt release to packet_sock_destruct() so late skb destructors and deferred cleanup can safely use it after packet_release(). Page-backed teardown remains synchronous, and no lock is added to the TX completion hot path. | |
| Title | net/packet: defer vmalloc TX_RING free until skbs finish | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
Sign in to view the affected projects.
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-09-04T15:54:51.459Z
Reserved: 2026-08-26T14:34:25.796Z
Link: CVE-2026-80841
No data.
Status : Received
Published: 2026-09-04T16:18:12.607
Modified: 2026-09-04T16:18:12.607
Link: CVE-2026-80841
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-09-04T21:45:17Z
Weaknesses
No weakness.