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Advisory severityMediumRed Hat Linux

Medium [CVE-2026-53247] Fix use-after-free in metadata dst teardown

This medium-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-53247.

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

CVE-2026-53247 Source published Source updated

VulniPulse record published Record updated

CVE-2026-53247
Affected products & platforms
Red Hat LinuxUnclassified
Open source advisory

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ethernet: mtk_eth_soc: Fix use-after-free in metadata dst teardown mtk_free_dev() calls metadata_dst_free() which frees the metadata_dst with kfree() immediately, bypassing the RCU grace period.

In the RX path, skb_dst_set_noref() sets a non-refcounted pointer from the skb to the metadata_dst. This function requires RCU read-side protection and the dst must remain valid until all RCU readers complete.

Since metadata_dst_free() calls kfree() directly, a use-after-free can occur if any skb still holds a noref pointer to the dst when the driver tears it down.

Replace metadata_dst_free() with dst_release() which properly goes through the refcount path: when the refcount drops to zero, it schedules the actual free via call_rcu_hurry(), ensuring all RCU readers have completed before the memory is freed. A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's ethernet driver for MediaTek (mtk_eth_soc) network devices.

This vulnerability, a 'use-after-free', occurs when the system attempts to free a memory region while it is still being used by network packet processing. This can allow a local attacker to trigger system instability, potentially leading to a denial of service (DoS) or, in some cases, unauthorized code execution.

Red Hat severity: Moderate. Weakness: CWE-825.

Is CVE-2026-53247 exploited?

No exploitation is reported in the sources VulniPulse tracks: CVE-2026-53247 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-2026-53247?

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 15 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 15 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 15 days ago·verify at source

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