High [CVE-2026-53250] cache csum_start/csum_offset to fix TOCTOU in xsk_skb_metadata
This high-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-53250 affecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat package: kernel-rt.
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Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xsk: cache csum_start/csum_offset to fix TOCTOU in xsk_skb_metadata() The TX metadata area resides in the UMEM buffer which is memory-mapped and concurrently writable by userspace.
In xsk_skb_metadata(), csum_start and csum_offset are read from shared memory for bounds validation, then read again for skb assignment. A malicious userspace application can race to overwrite these values between the two reads, bypassing the bounds check and causing out-of-bounds memory access during checksum computation in the transmit path.
Fix this by reading csum_start and csum_offset into local variables once, then using the local copies for both validation and assignment.
Note that other metadata fields (flags, launch_time) and the cached csum fields may be mutually inconsistent due to concurrent userspace writes, but this is benign: the only security-critical invariant is that each field's validated value is the same one used, which local caching guarantees.
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's xsk (AF_XDP socket) component. A malicious local userspace application can exploit a Time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the `xsk_skb_metadata()` function.
By modifying checksum-related values in shared memory between validation and use, an attacker can bypass security checks.
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 9 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 9 days ago·verify at source
Mitigation
The source record does not include mitigation steps. That is not a statement that no fix exists — read the vendor advisory below for the authoritative guidance.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 9 days ago·verify at source
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