9.8
CRITICAL CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-63978
net/handshake: Drain pending requests at net namespace exit
Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/handshake: Drain pending requests at net namespace exit The arguments to list_splice_init() in handshake_net_exit() are reversed. The call moves the local empty "requests" list onto hn->hn_requests, leaving the local list empty, so the subsequent drain loop runs zero iterations. Pending handshake requests that had not yet been accepted are not torn down when the net namespace is destroyed; each one keeps a reference on a socket file and on the handshake_req allocation. Pass the source and destination in the documented order (list_splice_init(list, head) moves list onto head) so the pending list is transferred to the local scratch list and drained through handshake_complete(). Fixing the splice direction exposes a list-corruption race. After the splice each req->hr_list still has non-empty link pointers, threading the stack-local scratch list rather than hn_requests. A concurrent handshake_req_cancel() -- for example, from sunrpc's TLS timeout on a kernel socket whose netns reference was not taken -- finds the request through the rhashtable, calls remove_pending(), and sees !list_empty(&req->hr_list). __remove_pending_locked() then list_del_init()s an entry off the scratch list while the drain iterates, corrupting it. The same call arriving after the drain loop has run list_del() on an entry hits LIST_POISON instead. Have remove_pending() check HANDSHAKE_F_NET_DRAINING under hn_lock and report not-found when drain is in progress. The drain has already taken ownership; handshake_complete()'s existing test_and_set on HANDSHAKE_F_REQ_COMPLETED still arbitrates between drain and cancel for who calls the consumer's hp_done. Use list_del_init() rather than list_del() in the drain so req->hr_list does not carry LIST_POISON after drain releases the entry. The DRAINING guard in remove_pending() makes cancel return false, but cancel still falls through to test_and_set_bit on HANDSHAKE_F_REQ_COMPLETED and drops the request's hr_file reference. Without another pin, if that is the last reference, sk_destruct frees the request while it is still linked on the drain loop's local list. Pin each request's hr_file under hn_lock before releasing the list, and drop that drain pin after the loop finishes with the request.

INFO

Published Date :

July 19, 2026, 4:17 p.m.

Last Modified :

Aug. 9, 2026, 7:17 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !

Source :

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

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-63978 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 CRITICAL 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
Fix argument order and race conditions in handshake request handling during net namespace exit.
  • Pass arguments to list_splice_init in the documented order.
  • Check HANDSHAKE_F_NET_DRAINING in remove_pending under hn_lock.
  • Pin each request's hr_file under hn_lock before releasing the list.
  • Drop the drain pin after the loop finishes with the request.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-63978 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-2026-63978 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-2026-63978 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-63978 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.

  • CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Aug. 09, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2bf24a7e190aae0ea47c78099938ae056c622e44
    Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': '9ec20c9a5a04f2c3f1cf65d21f886d7aaa6189cd', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': '8c35539db0ab0bfa1ea44efab00b053261a69469', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': 'ea5fe6a73ca57e5150b8a38b341aef2636eb72f0', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['net/handshake/netlink.c', 'net/handshake/request.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.4'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.4', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.93', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.12', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['net/handshake/netlink.c', 'net/handshake/request.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': '9ec20c9a5a04f2c3f1cf65d21f886d7aaa6189cd', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': '2bf24a7e190aae0ea47c78099938ae056c622e44', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': '8c35539db0ab0bfa1ea44efab00b053261a69469', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': 'ea5fe6a73ca57e5150b8a38b341aef2636eb72f0', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['net/handshake/netlink.c', 'net/handshake/request.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.4'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.4', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.93', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.44', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.12', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['net/handshake/netlink.c', 'net/handshake/request.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}]
  • CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Jul. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Jul. 19, 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': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': '9ec20c9a5a04f2c3f1cf65d21f886d7aaa6189cd', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': '8c35539db0ab0bfa1ea44efab00b053261a69469', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '3b3009ea8abb713b022d94fba95ec270cf6e7eae', 'lessThan': 'ea5fe6a73ca57e5150b8a38b341aef2636eb72f0', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['net/handshake/netlink.c', 'net/handshake/request.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.4'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.4', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.93', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.12', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['net/handshake/netlink.c', 'net/handshake/request.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}]
    Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/handshake: Drain pending requests at net namespace exit The arguments to list_splice_init() in handshake_net_exit() are reversed. The call moves the local empty "requests" list onto hn->hn_requests, leaving the local list empty, so the subsequent drain loop runs zero iterations. Pending handshake requests that had not yet been accepted are not torn down when the net namespace is destroyed; each one keeps a reference on a socket file and on the handshake_req allocation. Pass the source and destination in the documented order (list_splice_init(list, head) moves list onto head) so the pending list is transferred to the local scratch list and drained through handshake_complete(). Fixing the splice direction exposes a list-corruption race. After the splice each req->hr_list still has non-empty link pointers, threading the stack-local scratch list rather than hn_requests. A concurrent handshake_req_cancel() -- for example, from sunrpc's TLS timeout on a kernel socket whose netns reference was not taken -- finds the request through the rhashtable, calls remove_pending(), and sees !list_empty(&req->hr_list). __remove_pending_locked() then list_del_init()s an entry off the scratch list while the drain iterates, corrupting it. The same call arriving after the drain loop has run list_del() on an entry hits LIST_POISON instead. Have remove_pending() check HANDSHAKE_F_NET_DRAINING under hn_lock and report not-found when drain is in progress. The drain has already taken ownership; handshake_complete()'s existing test_and_set on HANDSHAKE_F_REQ_COMPLETED still arbitrates between drain and cancel for who calls the consumer's hp_done. Use list_del_init() rather than list_del() in the drain so req->hr_list does not carry LIST_POISON after drain releases the entry. The DRAINING guard in remove_pending() makes cancel return false, but cancel still falls through to test_and_set_bit on HANDSHAKE_F_REQ_COMPLETED and drops the request's hr_file reference. Without another pin, if that is the last reference, sk_destruct frees the request while it is still linked on the drain loop's local list. Pin each request's hr_file under hn_lock before releasing the list, and drop that drain pin after the loop finishes with the request.
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c35539db0ab0bfa1ea44efab00b053261a69469
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ec20c9a5a04f2c3f1cf65d21f886d7aaa6189cd
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ea5fe6a73ca57e5150b8a38b341aef2636eb72f0
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.