Resource exhaustion in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-23278
Published: March 20, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU124174
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-23278
CWE-ID: CWE-400
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vendor: Linux Foundation
Affected software:
Linux kernel
Linux kernel
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service.
The vulnerability exists due to improper memory management in the netfilter nf_tables component when processing transaction batches containing multiple catchall elements. A local user can provide a specially crafted batch request to cause a denial of service.
Exploitation requires the ability to inject or modify netfilter rules via the nf_tables interface, which is typically restricted to privileged users. The issue occurs during transaction abort processing, leading to a use-after-free condition that triggers a kernel warning and system instability.
How to mitigate CVE-2026-23278
Install security update from vendor's repository.