High [CVE-2026-72463] Fix dev use-after-free in xfrm async resumption
This high-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-72463.
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Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: Fix dev use-after-free in xfrm async resumption xfrm async resumption hold skb->dev refcnt until after transport_finish. However, xfrm_rcv_cb may modify skb->dev to tunnel dev without taking device reference, such as vti_rcv_cb.
The subsequent async resumption will decrement the tunnel device's reference count, which lead to uaf of tunnel dev and refcnt leak of orig dev as below: unregister_netdevice: waiting for vti1 to become free. Usage count = -2 Stash the original skb->dev to fix refcnt imbalance.
The new skb->dev set by xfrm_rcv_cb can race with device teardown. Extend rcu protection over xfrm_rcv_cb and transport_finish to prevent races.
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's xfrm (IP eXtensible FRamework for IPsec) subsystem. This vulnerability occurs during asynchronous resumption where the xfrm_rcv_cb function can modify a network device without properly managing its reference count.
This improper handling leads to a use-after-free condition on the tunnel device and a reference count leak on the original device. An attacker could potentially exploit this to cause system instability or a denial of service (DoS).
Red Hat severity: Important — CVSS 7 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Weakness: CWE-825.
Under investigation: 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 2 hours 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 2 hours 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 2 hours ago·verify at source
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