7.5
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-52981
neigh: let neigh_xmit take skb ownership
Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: neigh: let neigh_xmit take skb ownership neigh_xmit always releases the skb, except when no neighbour table is found. But even the first added user of neigh_xmit (mpls) relied on neigh_xmit to release the skb (or queue it for tx). sashiko reported: If neigh_xmit() is called with an uninitialized neighbor table (for example, NEIGH_ND_TABLE when IPv6 is disabled), it returns -EAFNOSUPPORT and bypasses its internal out_kfree_skb error path. Because the return value of neigh_xmit() is ignored here, does this leak the SKB? Assume full ownership and remove the last code path that doesn't xmit or free skb.

INFO

Published Date :

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

Last Modified :

July 14, 2026, 4:51 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !

Source :

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

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-52981 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 HIGH 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
Address memory corruption by ensuring SKB ownership is managed correctly.
  • Ensure SKB ownership is handled consistently.
  • Review and manage SKB release paths.
  • Apply kernel updates for memory management.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-52981 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-2026-52981 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-2026-52981 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-52981 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 CWE CWE-401
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* *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) 4.1 up to (excluding) 6.1.175
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0084712e0bee204b284510cdb63182fd5a30c2b7 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4438113be604ee67a7bf4f81da6e1cca41332ce4 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/445e45a2c3a078316a62d2d331a570cf34ef5079 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63063ba60d2dc334e34f1e3f9271d7f3f6f30307 Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a89054a1ec0767aec25ed2bbac933da6ba3cf5a Types: Patch
    Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9247d59ca15bf60a57dca08103f055d8a4340877 Types: Patch
  • CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Jun. 28, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
  • 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': '4fd3d7d9e868ffbdb0e7a67c5c8e9dfdcd846a62', 'lessThan': '8a89054a1ec0767aec25ed2bbac933da6ba3cf5a', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '4fd3d7d9e868ffbdb0e7a67c5c8e9dfdcd846a62', 'lessThan': '9247d59ca15bf60a57dca08103f055d8a4340877', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '4fd3d7d9e868ffbdb0e7a67c5c8e9dfdcd846a62', 'lessThan': '0084712e0bee204b284510cdb63182fd5a30c2b7', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '4fd3d7d9e868ffbdb0e7a67c5c8e9dfdcd846a62', 'lessThan': '63063ba60d2dc334e34f1e3f9271d7f3f6f30307', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '4fd3d7d9e868ffbdb0e7a67c5c8e9dfdcd846a62', 'lessThan': '445e45a2c3a078316a62d2d331a570cf34ef5079', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '4fd3d7d9e868ffbdb0e7a67c5c8e9dfdcd846a62', 'lessThan': '4438113be604ee67a7bf4f81da6e1cca41332ce4', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['net/core/neighbour.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '4.1'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '4.1', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'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/core/neighbour.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}]
    Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: neigh: let neigh_xmit take skb ownership neigh_xmit always releases the skb, except when no neighbour table is found. But even the first added user of neigh_xmit (mpls) relied on neigh_xmit to release the skb (or queue it for tx). sashiko reported: If neigh_xmit() is called with an uninitialized neighbor table (for example, NEIGH_ND_TABLE when IPv6 is disabled), it returns -EAFNOSUPPORT and bypasses its internal out_kfree_skb error path. Because the return value of neigh_xmit() is ignored here, does this leak the SKB? Assume full ownership and remove the last code path that doesn't xmit or free skb.
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0084712e0bee204b284510cdb63182fd5a30c2b7
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4438113be604ee67a7bf4f81da6e1cca41332ce4
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/445e45a2c3a078316a62d2d331a570cf34ef5079
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63063ba60d2dc334e34f1e3f9271d7f3f6f30307
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a89054a1ec0767aec25ed2bbac933da6ba3cf5a
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9247d59ca15bf60a57dca08103f055d8a4340877
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.