CVE-2026-74578
crypto: algif_skcipher - force synchronous processing on trees without ctx->state
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: algif_skcipher - force synchronous processing on trees without ctx->state The AIO/async path in skcipher_recvmsg() passes the socket-wide ctx->iv directly into the skcipher request. After io_submit() the socket lock is dropped and the request is processed asynchronously, so a concurrent sendmsg(ALG_SET_IV) can overwrite ctx->iv and make the in-flight request run under an attacker-controlled IV. For CTR/stream modes this is IV/keystream reuse and lets an unprivileged user recover the plaintext of a concurrent operation. Snapshotting ctx->iv into per-request storage for the async path is not sufficient. For ciphers with statesize == 0 - which includes cbc and ctr - the MSG_MORE inter-chunk IV chaining is carried solely by the in-place req->iv writeback, which a snapshot redirects into per-request memory that af_alg_free_resources() releases on completion, silently producing wrong output. Writing the IV back from the completion callback instead is not possible either: that would require lock_sock() there, but the callback can run in softirq/atomic context, so it must not sleep. Make the operation synchronous instead, which removes both the IV race and any writeback race. This is equivalent to the upstream resolution, commit fcc77d33a34c ("net: Remove support for AIO on sockets"), which removed the AIO socket path across net/ entirely and so produces the same end state for this file. This patch deviates from that commit deliberately: rather than removing AIO socket support tree-wide, which would be far too invasive for stable, it removes only the AIO branch in crypto/algif_skcipher.c. io_submit() now completes synchronously; AF_ALG async is rarely used in practice. The -EIOCBQUEUED check in skcipher_recvmsg() is now dead but harmless, and is left alone to keep the fix minimal. Tested on 6.6.y: attacker IV injection dropped from 2296/200000 to 0/200000 after the change; MSG_MORE chunked CTR output bit-identical to single-shot.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 16, 2026, 9:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 16, 2026, 9:16 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-74578
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
- Apply the kernel patch to crypto/algif_skcipher.c.
- Ensure synchronous processing for the affected ciphers.
- Update the Linux kernel to a patched version.
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-2026-74578.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-74578 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-2026-74578
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-2026-74578 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-74578 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.
-
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 16, 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': 'e870456d8e7c8d57c059ea479b5aadbb55ff4c3a', 'lessThan': 'bf09b0be8e851f050e98da702d247c14d81b591a', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e870456d8e7c8d57c059ea479b5aadbb55ff4c3a', 'lessThan': '73dd3bf704ca6c20639de70c08e9a10bee904a95', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e870456d8e7c8d57c059ea479b5aadbb55ff4c3a', 'lessThan': 'f1a87ca0843d74482402a206ea2dfb315ee9acbd', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e870456d8e7c8d57c059ea479b5aadbb55ff4c3a', 'lessThan': '7b91e51d0eb7cbb07f7f086f9176bd93dbbc85dd', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e870456d8e7c8d57c059ea479b5aadbb55ff4c3a', 'lessThan': '60eafc7b08c6689ea3ad39eff8d97aefc8a087c7', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e870456d8e7c8d57c059ea479b5aadbb55ff4c3a', 'lessThan': 'd7860b682da55433b5da0591b0e4c1982ecd2689', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e870456d8e7c8d57c059ea479b5aadbb55ff4c3a', 'lessThan': 'b05defc41b27c7d0c05c45f67bf5b91c28f93669', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e870456d8e7c8d57c059ea479b5aadbb55ff4c3a', 'lessThan': 'fcc77d33a34cf271702e8daafb6c593e4626776d', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['crypto/algif_skcipher.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '4.14'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '4.14', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.10.261', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.10.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.15.212', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.15.*'}, {'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-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['crypto/algif_skcipher.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: algif_skcipher - force synchronous processing on trees without ctx->state The AIO/async path in skcipher_recvmsg() passes the socket-wide ctx->iv directly into the skcipher request. After io_submit() the socket lock is dropped and the request is processed asynchronously, so a concurrent sendmsg(ALG_SET_IV) can overwrite ctx->iv and make the in-flight request run under an attacker-controlled IV. For CTR/stream modes this is IV/keystream reuse and lets an unprivileged user recover the plaintext of a concurrent operation. Snapshotting ctx->iv into per-request storage for the async path is not sufficient. For ciphers with statesize == 0 - which includes cbc and ctr - the MSG_MORE inter-chunk IV chaining is carried solely by the in-place req->iv writeback, which a snapshot redirects into per-request memory that af_alg_free_resources() releases on completion, silently producing wrong output. Writing the IV back from the completion callback instead is not possible either: that would require lock_sock() there, but the callback can run in softirq/atomic context, so it must not sleep. Make the operation synchronous instead, which removes both the IV race and any writeback race. This is equivalent to the upstream resolution, commit fcc77d33a34c ("net: Remove support for AIO on sockets"), which removed the AIO socket path across net/ entirely and so produces the same end state for this file. This patch deviates from that commit deliberately: rather than removing AIO socket support tree-wide, which would be far too invasive for stable, it removes only the AIO branch in crypto/algif_skcipher.c. io_submit() now completes synchronously; AF_ALG async is rarely used in practice. The -EIOCBQUEUED check in skcipher_recvmsg() is now dead but harmless, and is left alone to keep the fix minimal. Tested on 6.6.y: attacker IV injection dropped from 2296/200000 to 0/200000 after the change; MSG_MORE chunked CTR output bit-identical to single-shot. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/60eafc7b08c6689ea3ad39eff8d97aefc8a087c7 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73dd3bf704ca6c20639de70c08e9a10bee904a95 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b91e51d0eb7cbb07f7f086f9176bd93dbbc85dd Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b05defc41b27c7d0c05c45f67bf5b91c28f93669 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bf09b0be8e851f050e98da702d247c14d81b591a Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d7860b682da55433b5da0591b0e4c1982ecd2689 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1a87ca0843d74482402a206ea2dfb315ee9acbd Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fcc77d33a34cf271702e8daafb6c593e4626776d