5.5
MEDIUM CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-52970
netfilter: nft_ct: fix missing expect put in obj eval
Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nft_ct: fix missing expect put in obj eval nft_ct_expect_obj_eval() allocates an expectation and may call nf_ct_expect_related(), but never drops its local reference. Add nf_ct_expect_put(exp) before return to balance allocation.

INFO

Published Date :

June 24, 2026, 5:17 p.m.

Last Modified :

July 14, 2026, 7:45 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-52970 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Linux linux_kernel
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
Add nf_ct_expect_put to balance expectation allocation and resolve memory leak.
  • Add nf_ct_expect_put before returning from nft_ct_expect_obj_eval.
  • Review and balance all expectation reference counts.
  • Apply the latest kernel patches.
  • Test the system thoroughly after applying changes.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-52970 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-52970 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-52970 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-52970 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Jul. 14, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    Added CWE NVD-CWE-noinfo
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.2 up to (excluding) 6.6.141 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.7 up to (excluding) 6.12.91 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.13 up to (excluding) 6.18.33 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.19 up to (excluding) 7.0.10 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.16 up to (excluding) 6.1.175 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.11 up to (excluding) 5.15.209 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.3 up to (excluding) 5.10.258
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/19f94b6fee75b3ef7fbc06f3745b9a771a8a19a4 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1dced0725e2fae3ac3416274db20a7ff5a46931d Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/26ab32ec73941871c97562ee1f39587950dc3b68 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2aef1b13d5c0285f340512c6c07eb858fd018fd8 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b96242ceedfe249f158419f3254bcee04173ffe Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84c422cea5a45fe56be839f25880f21fd33940cd Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cdb9a25dd3416d427e8b2753210f8baf44207577 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ecca618e1e339494911090474ed87742c0f73976 Types: Patch
  • New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Jun. 24, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1', 'lessThan': 'cdb9a25dd3416d427e8b2753210f8baf44207577', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1', 'lessThan': '26ab32ec73941871c97562ee1f39587950dc3b68', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1', 'lessThan': '7b96242ceedfe249f158419f3254bcee04173ffe', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1', 'lessThan': 'ecca618e1e339494911090474ed87742c0f73976', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1', 'lessThan': '2aef1b13d5c0285f340512c6c07eb858fd018fd8', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1', 'lessThan': '1dced0725e2fae3ac3416274db20a7ff5a46931d', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1', 'lessThan': '84c422cea5a45fe56be839f25880f21fd33940cd', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1', 'lessThan': '19f94b6fee75b3ef7fbc06f3745b9a771a8a19a4', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['net/netfilter/nft_ct.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '5.3'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '5.3', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.10.258', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.10.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.15.209', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.15.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.175', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.141', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.91', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.33', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.10', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['net/netfilter/nft_ct.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}]
    Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nft_ct: fix missing expect put in obj eval nft_ct_expect_obj_eval() allocates an expectation and may call nf_ct_expect_related(), but never drops its local reference. Add nf_ct_expect_put(exp) before return to balance allocation.
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/19f94b6fee75b3ef7fbc06f3745b9a771a8a19a4
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1dced0725e2fae3ac3416274db20a7ff5a46931d
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/26ab32ec73941871c97562ee1f39587950dc3b68
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2aef1b13d5c0285f340512c6c07eb858fd018fd8
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b96242ceedfe249f158419f3254bcee04173ffe
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84c422cea5a45fe56be839f25880f21fd33940cd
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cdb9a25dd3416d427e8b2753210f8baf44207577
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ecca618e1e339494911090474ed87742c0f73976
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.