Skip to content
VulniPulse
Advisory severityMedium5.5Vendor: LowRed Hat Linux

Medium [CVE-2026-52974] fix strparser anchor skb leak on offload RX setup failure

This medium-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-52974 affecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat package: kernel-rt.

Aggregated and source-linked by VulniPulse. Data sources, validation and limitations.

CVE-2026-52974 Source published Source updated

VulniPulse record published Record updated

CVE-2026-52974
Affected products & platforms
Red Hat LinuxLinux Kernel
Open source advisory

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: tls: fix strparser anchor skb leak on offload RX setup failure When tls_set_device_offload_rx() fails at tls_dev_add(), the error path calls tls_sw_free_resources_rx() to clean up the SW context that was initialized by tls_set_sw_offload().

This function calls tls_sw_release_resources_rx() (which stops the strparser via tls_strp_stop()) and tls_sw_free_ctx_rx() (which kfrees the context), but never frees the anchor skb that was allocated by alloc_skb(0) in tls_strp_init().

Note that tls_sw_free_resources_rx() is exclusively used for this "failed to start offload" code path, there's no other caller. The leak did not exist before commit 84c61fe1a75b ("tls: rx: do not use the standard strparser"), because the standard strparser doesn't try to pre-allocate an skb.

The normal close path in tls_sk_proto_close() handles cleanup by calling tls_sw_strparser_done() (which calls tls_strp_done()) after dropping the socket lock, because tls_strp_done() does cancel_work_sync() and the strparser work handler takes the socket lock. A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's network Transport Layer Security (TLS) module.

Specifically, a memory leak occurs during the setup of receive offload when a particular function fails. This issue can lead to the gradual consumption of system memory.

Is CVE-2026-52974 exploited?

No exploitation is reported in the sources VulniPulse tracks: CVE-2026-52974 is not in the CISA KEV catalog (checked ) and this advisory does not report exploitation. That is not proof the vulnerability cannot be exploited.

How do I fix CVE-2026-52974?

The advisory VulniPulse tracks names no fixed release. Follow Red Hat's guidance for workarounds and updates.

Confirm against the vendor advisory before you patch.

Affected versions

No affected-version range was extracted from the source record. The vendor advisory is authoritative. Check it before change work.

Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 14 days ago·verify at source

Fixed versions

No fixed release is recorded yet. That does not prove no patch exists. Confirm against the vendor advisory.

Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 14 days ago·verify at source

Mitigation

The source record does not include mitigation steps. That does not mean no fix exists. Read the vendor advisory below for the authoritative guidance.

Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 14 days ago·verify at source

Get an email when Red Hat Linux Kernel publishes the next one.

See Red Hat Linux Kernel's last 90 days of advisories first. Then choose one product with live alerts free for life, or a free month of real-time alerts on everything with the severity, the fixed version and the vendor's link (card needed, then US$15/month; we email you before the first charge).

Alert me about Red Hat Linux Kernel
All Red Hat Linux advisories

iPhone and Android apps · New on the App Store

Monitor future Red Hat Linux CVEs from your phone.

Choose a whole vendor or a precise platform, then receive matching security advisories by phone notification, email, or both. Coverage follows 34 official vendor sources and 160+ reviewed platform categories.

Discussion(0)

No comments yet. Share field notes, upgrade gotchas, or questions — verify against the vendor advisory before acting on community advice.

Sign in to join the discussion.