High [CVE-2026-72451] Fix xfrm state cache insertion race
This high-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-72451 affecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat package: kernel.
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Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: Fix xfrm state cache insertion race The xfrm input state cache insertion code checks the validity of the state before acquiring the global xfrm_state_lock.
Thus it's possible for someone else to kill the state after it passed the validity check, and then the insertion will add the dead state to the cache. Fix this by moving the validity check inside the lock.
This entire function is called on the input path, where BH must be off (e.g., the caller of this function xfrm_input acquires its spinlocks without disabling BH). So there is no need to disable BH here or take the RCU read lock.
Remove both and replace them with an assertion that trips if BH is accidentally enabled on some future calling path. A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's xfrm (IPSec framework) component.
This occurs because the validity of a state is checked before a global lock is acquired, allowing another process to invalidate the state before it is added to the cache. Consequently, a 'dead' or invalid state can be inserted into the cache, potentially leading to incorrect state management and unexpected system behavior.
Red Hat severity: Moderate — CVSS 7 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Weakness: CWE-367.
Affected Red Hat products: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
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 22 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 22 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 22 days ago·verify at source
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