In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mptcp: fix stale skb->sk reference on subflow close
The backlog list is updated by mptcp_data_ready() under
mptcp_data_lock(). The cleanup of backlog references to a closing
subflow, however, was performed in mptcp_close_ssk(), before
__mptcp_close_ssk() acquires the ssk lock, and while holding neither
the ssk lock nor mptcp_data_lock().
Because that traversal ran without mptcp_data_lock(), concurrent softirq
RX processing on another CPU (subflow_data_ready() -> mptcp_data_ready()
-> __mptcp_add_backlog(), under mptcp_data_lock()) could add a backlog
entry referencing the ssk while the cleanup loop was in progress. Such
an entry could be missed by the cleanup, or the concurrent list update
could corrupt the traversal, leaving skb->sk pointing at the ssk after
it is freed.
A later mptcp_backlog_purge() then dereferences the stale pointer,
triggering a warning in inet_sock_destruct() (ssk->sk_rmem_alloc != 0)
followed by a use-after-free in mptcp_backlog_purge().
Fix this by moving the backlog cleanup into __mptcp_close_ssk(), after
subflow->closing is set to 1 and while the ssk lock is still held,
serialized under mptcp_data_lock(). The cleanup runs only on the push
path (MPTCP_CF_PUSH), where backlog references accumulate; on other
teardown paths the caller already handles cleanup.
With subflow->closing set and mptcp_data_lock() held across the purge,
any concurrent mptcp_data_ready() either completes its enqueue before
the purge runs and is caught, or observes closing=1 and bails out. Once
mptcp_data_unlock() is reached, no new skb referencing the ssk can be
enqueued, so the cleanup is exhaustive.
Remove the unprotected traversal from mptcp_close_ssk() entirely.
mptcp: fix stale skb->sk reference on subflow close
The backlog list is updated by mptcp_data_ready() under
mptcp_data_lock(). The cleanup of backlog references to a closing
subflow, however, was performed in mptcp_close_ssk(), before
__mptcp_close_ssk() acquires the ssk lock, and while holding neither
the ssk lock nor mptcp_data_lock().
Because that traversal ran without mptcp_data_lock(), concurrent softirq
RX processing on another CPU (subflow_data_ready() -> mptcp_data_ready()
-> __mptcp_add_backlog(), under mptcp_data_lock()) could add a backlog
entry referencing the ssk while the cleanup loop was in progress. Such
an entry could be missed by the cleanup, or the concurrent list update
could corrupt the traversal, leaving skb->sk pointing at the ssk after
it is freed.
A later mptcp_backlog_purge() then dereferences the stale pointer,
triggering a warning in inet_sock_destruct() (ssk->sk_rmem_alloc != 0)
followed by a use-after-free in mptcp_backlog_purge().
Fix this by moving the backlog cleanup into __mptcp_close_ssk(), after
subflow->closing is set to 1 and while the ssk lock is still held,
serialized under mptcp_data_lock(). The cleanup runs only on the push
path (MPTCP_CF_PUSH), where backlog references accumulate; on other
teardown paths the caller already handles cleanup.
With subflow->closing set and mptcp_data_lock() held across the purge,
any concurrent mptcp_data_ready() either completes its enqueue before
the purge runs and is caught, or observes closing=1 and bails out. Once
mptcp_data_unlock() is reached, no new skb referencing the ssk can be
enqueued, so the cleanup is exhaustive.
Remove the unprotected traversal from mptcp_close_ssk() entirely.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
No data.
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: fix stale skb->sk reference on subflow close The backlog list is updated by mptcp_data_ready() under mptcp_data_lock(). The cleanup of backlog references to a closing subflow, however, was performed in mptcp_close_ssk(), before __mptcp_close_ssk() acquires the ssk lock, and while holding neither the ssk lock nor mptcp_data_lock(). Because that traversal ran without mptcp_data_lock(), concurrent softirq RX processing on another CPU (subflow_data_ready() -> mptcp_data_ready() -> __mptcp_add_backlog(), under mptcp_data_lock()) could add a backlog entry referencing the ssk while the cleanup loop was in progress. Such an entry could be missed by the cleanup, or the concurrent list update could corrupt the traversal, leaving skb->sk pointing at the ssk after it is freed. A later mptcp_backlog_purge() then dereferences the stale pointer, triggering a warning in inet_sock_destruct() (ssk->sk_rmem_alloc != 0) followed by a use-after-free in mptcp_backlog_purge(). Fix this by moving the backlog cleanup into __mptcp_close_ssk(), after subflow->closing is set to 1 and while the ssk lock is still held, serialized under mptcp_data_lock(). The cleanup runs only on the push path (MPTCP_CF_PUSH), where backlog references accumulate; on other teardown paths the caller already handles cleanup. With subflow->closing set and mptcp_data_lock() held across the purge, any concurrent mptcp_data_ready() either completes its enqueue before the purge runs and is caught, or observes closing=1 and bails out. Once mptcp_data_unlock() is reached, no new skb referencing the ssk can be enqueued, so the cleanup is exhaustive. Remove the unprotected traversal from mptcp_close_ssk() entirely. | |
| Title | mptcp: fix stale skb->sk reference on subflow close | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
Sign in to view the affected projects.
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-08-10T11:59:39.174Z
Reserved: 2026-07-30T09:28:09.372Z
Link: CVE-2026-68170
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
No data.
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.