CVE-2026-98624: netfilter: nfnetlink_queue: hold nfnl mutex in event notifier
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
netfilter: nfnetlinkqueue: hold nfnl mutex in event notifier
We must serialize the release notifier and the config netlink function. A concurrent thread can issue close() which can call the release function while unrelated socket processes UNBIND request for same portid:
Oops: general protection fault, [..] RIP: 0010:instancedestroy+0x60/0x210 [nfnetlinkqueue] Call Trace: nfqnlrecvconfig+0x9b0/0xdc0 [nfnetlinkqueue] nfnetlinkrcvmsg+0x7c2/0xeb0 ? pfxnfnetlinkrcvmsg+0x10/0x10
After this, parallel UNBIND and URELEASE events are impossible.
This change isn't nice, but its the shortest fix given instances are not refcounted and the nfnetlink config callback drops the rcu read lock early due to need for sleeping allocations.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
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azurelinux/kernelto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.6.159.1-1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-aws-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1119.126~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-nvidia-tegra-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1070.72~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oracle-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1116.122~20.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscv-5.15to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 5.15.0-1113.117~20.04.2 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-hwe-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscv-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42.1~24.04.1 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linuxto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-awsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-gcpto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.18 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-ibmto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oem-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-oracleto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1015.16 - Upgrade
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ubuntu/linux-riscvto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42.1
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions are required to trigger this issue?
The race requires concurrent handling of a socket close that invokes the nfnetlink_queue release path and an UNBIND configuration request for the same port ID. The affected paths are the release notifier and the nfnetlink_queue configuration netlink function.
What is the likely impact if the race occurs?
The reported failure is a general protection fault in the nfnetlink_queue instance-destruction path, resulting in a kernel oops. The issue arises because instances are not reference-counted while the configuration callback releases its RCU read lock early.
How does the fix mitigate the problem?
The fix holds the nfnetlink mutex in the event notifier to serialize release handling with configuration processing. This makes parallel UNBIND and URELEASE events impossible.