CVE-2026-72451
xfrm: Fix xfrm state cache insertion race
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: Fix xfrm state cache insertion race The xfrm input state cache insertion code checks the validity of the state before acquiring the global xfrm_state_lock. Thus it's possible for someone else to kill the state after it passed the validity check, and then the insertion will add the dead state to the cache. Fix this by moving the validity check inside the lock. This entire function is called on the input path, where BH must be off (e.g., the caller of this function xfrm_input acquires its spinlocks without disabling BH). So there is no need to disable BH here or take the RCU read lock. Remove both and replace them with an assertion that trips if BH is accidentally enabled on some future calling path.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 15, 2026, 6:22 a.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 15, 2026, 6:22 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-72451
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.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Move the validity check inside the lock.
- Remove BH disable and RCU read lock.
- Add assertion to trip if BH is enabled.
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-2026-72451.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-72451 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-2026-72451
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-2026-72451 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-72451 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.
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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': '5e4334dc39443645415450163ff5ff1ee7e79784', 'lessThan': '6dab4dec9a49121d079981ac913569f232c06b06', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '81a331a0e72ddc2f75092603d9577bd1a0ca23ad', 'lessThan': 'a1a3360a0c44b8b5c134db2a9d0667b61c9cf523', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '81a331a0e72ddc2f75092603d9577bd1a0ca23ad', 'lessThan': '041859fd55c81ea55e76d051e39b7b79975b8c7d', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '81a331a0e72ddc2f75092603d9577bd1a0ca23ad', 'lessThan': 'ddd3d0132920319ac426e12456013eadbae67e15', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.12.13', 'lessThan': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.13'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.13', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'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-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: Fix xfrm state cache insertion race The xfrm input state cache insertion code checks the validity of the state before acquiring the global xfrm_state_lock. Thus it's possible for someone else to kill the state after it passed the validity check, and then the insertion will add the dead state to the cache. Fix this by moving the validity check inside the lock. This entire function is called on the input path, where BH must be off (e.g., the caller of this function xfrm_input acquires its spinlocks without disabling BH). So there is no need to disable BH here or take the RCU read lock. Remove both and replace them with an assertion that trips if BH is accidentally enabled on some future calling path. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/041859fd55c81ea55e76d051e39b7b79975b8c7d Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6dab4dec9a49121d079981ac913569f232c06b06 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a1a3360a0c44b8b5c134db2a9d0667b61c9cf523 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ddd3d0132920319ac426e12456013eadbae67e15