CVE-2026-72072
net/mlx5e: macsec: fix use-after-free of metadata_dst on RX SC delete
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: macsec: fix use-after-free of metadata_dst on RX SC delete When an offloaded MACsec RX SC is deleted, macsec_del_rxsc_ctx() freed the per-SC metadata_dst with metadata_dst_free(), which kfree()s the object unconditionally and ignores the dst reference count. The RX datapath in mlx5e_macsec_offload_handle_rx_skb() looks up the SC under rcu_read_lock() via xa_load(), takes a reference with dst_hold() and attaches the dst to the skb with skb_dst_set(). A reader that already obtained the rx_sc pointer can race with the delete path and operate on freed memory. Fix the owner side by dropping the reference with dst_release() instead of freeing unconditionally, and convert the RX datapath to dst_hold_safe() so a reader racing the SC delete cannot attach a dst whose last reference was just dropped; only attach it when a reference was actually taken. mlx5e_macsec_add_rxsc() also published sc_xarray_element via xa_alloc() before rx_sc->md_dst was allocated and initialised, so a datapath reader that looked the SC up by fs_id could observe rx_sc with md_dst still NULL or, on weakly-ordered architectures, a non-NULL md_dst pointer whose contents were not yet visible. NULL-check the xa_load() result and md_dst on the datapath, and reorder add_rxsc() so the xa_alloc() publish happens only after md_dst is fully initialised; the xarray RCU publish then pairs with the rcu_read_lock()/xa_load() in the datapath. Note: macsec_del_rxsc_ctx() also kfree()s rx_sc->sc_xarray_element without an RCU grace period while the same datapath reads it under rcu_read_lock(); that is a separate pre-existing issue left to a follow-up patch. Found by 0sec automated security-research tooling (https://0sec.ai).
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 15, 2026, 6:21 a.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 17, 2026, 6:18 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
Solution
- Drop reference using dst_release instead of unconditional free.
- Use dst_hold_safe in RX datapath for SC delete race.
- Null-check xa_load result and md_dst in datapath.
- Reorder add_rxsc to initialize md_dst before publishing.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-72072.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-72072 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-2026-72072
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-2026-72072 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-72072 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. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'b1a4d0c568bbb52c7c04f4fce3c097dae89ed6cb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '218cc15a4c907659ad4b0e68c535c61594311205', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '4a5073b7b30243658f58b2d2d35a823da7fd34d9', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'ed3cc4218070d6b98bf5fb456dccae424fd38c4f', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '088873af13590ebde10de2ade847f57a05ec61c6', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'de74d8fd10291763d97b218f09adcc7513c975e4', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/macsec.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.1'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.1', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.178', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.145', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/macsec.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'b1a4d0c568bbb52c7c04f4fce3c097dae89ed6cb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '218cc15a4c907659ad4b0e68c535c61594311205', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '4a5073b7b30243658f58b2d2d35a823da7fd34d9', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'ed3cc4218070d6b98bf5fb456dccae424fd38c4f', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '088873af13590ebde10de2ade847f57a05ec61c6', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'de74d8fd10291763d97b218f09adcc7513c975e4', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/macsec.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.1'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.1', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.178', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.145', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/macsec.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 15, 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': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'b1a4d0c568bbb52c7c04f4fce3c097dae89ed6cb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '218cc15a4c907659ad4b0e68c535c61594311205', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '4a5073b7b30243658f58b2d2d35a823da7fd34d9', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'ed3cc4218070d6b98bf5fb456dccae424fd38c4f', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': '088873af13590ebde10de2ade847f57a05ec61c6', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'b7c9400cbc48c3713190b3bce4e0c87e924e4104', 'lessThan': 'de74d8fd10291763d97b218f09adcc7513c975e4', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/macsec.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.1'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.1', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.178', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.145', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_accel/macsec.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: macsec: fix use-after-free of metadata_dst on RX SC delete When an offloaded MACsec RX SC is deleted, macsec_del_rxsc_ctx() freed the per-SC metadata_dst with metadata_dst_free(), which kfree()s the object unconditionally and ignores the dst reference count. The RX datapath in mlx5e_macsec_offload_handle_rx_skb() looks up the SC under rcu_read_lock() via xa_load(), takes a reference with dst_hold() and attaches the dst to the skb with skb_dst_set(). A reader that already obtained the rx_sc pointer can race with the delete path and operate on freed memory. Fix the owner side by dropping the reference with dst_release() instead of freeing unconditionally, and convert the RX datapath to dst_hold_safe() so a reader racing the SC delete cannot attach a dst whose last reference was just dropped; only attach it when a reference was actually taken. mlx5e_macsec_add_rxsc() also published sc_xarray_element via xa_alloc() before rx_sc->md_dst was allocated and initialised, so a datapath reader that looked the SC up by fs_id could observe rx_sc with md_dst still NULL or, on weakly-ordered architectures, a non-NULL md_dst pointer whose contents were not yet visible. NULL-check the xa_load() result and md_dst on the datapath, and reorder add_rxsc() so the xa_alloc() publish happens only after md_dst is fully initialised; the xarray RCU publish then pairs with the rcu_read_lock()/xa_load() in the datapath. Note: macsec_del_rxsc_ctx() also kfree()s rx_sc->sc_xarray_element without an RCU grace period while the same datapath reads it under rcu_read_lock(); that is a separate pre-existing issue left to a follow-up patch. Found by 0sec automated security-research tooling (https://0sec.ai). Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/088873af13590ebde10de2ade847f57a05ec61c6 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/218cc15a4c907659ad4b0e68c535c61594311205 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4a5073b7b30243658f58b2d2d35a823da7fd34d9 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b1a4d0c568bbb52c7c04f4fce3c097dae89ed6cb Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/de74d8fd10291763d97b218f09adcc7513c975e4 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed3cc4218070d6b98bf5fb456dccae424fd38c4f