NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-80520
Published: August 27, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU145970
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSS v4: 8.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-80520
CWE-ID: CWE-476
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service.
The vulnerability exists due to a NULL pointer dereference in ovpn_crypto_kill_key in the ovpn crypto component when handling a request to remove a missing key. A remote attacker can trigger key removal for a key that is not present to cause a denial of service.
A peer may have only one installed key, which can leave one crypto slot empty.
Affected software
Linux kernel
How to mitigate CVE-2026-80520
Install security update from vendor's repository.
Linux kernel - update to 7.0 rc3