UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23458
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: ctnetlink: fix use-after-free in ctnetlink_dump_exp_ct() ctnetlink_dump_exp_ct() stores a conntrack pointer in cb->data for the netlink dump callback ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table(), but drops the conntrack reference immediately after netlink_dump_start(). When the dump spans multiple rounds, the second recvmsg() triggers the dump callback which dereferences the now-freed conntrack via nfct_help(ct), leading to a use-after-free on ct->ext. The bug is that the netlink_dump_control has no .start or .done callbacks to manage the conntrack reference across dump rounds. Other dump functions in the same file (e.g. ctnetlink_get_conntrack) properly use .start/.done callbacks for this purpose. Fix this by adding .start and .done callbacks that hold and release the conntrack reference for the duration of the dump, and move the nfct_help() call after the cb->args[0] early-return check in the dump callback to avoid dereferencing ct->ext unnecessarily. BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table+0x4f/0x2e0 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88810597ebf0 by task ctnetlink_poc/133 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 133 Comm: ctnetlink_poc Not tainted 7.0.0-rc2+ #3 PREEMPTLAZY Call Trace: <TASK> ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table+0x4f/0x2e0 netlink_dump+0x333/0x880 netlink_recvmsg+0x3e2/0x4b0 ? aa_sk_perm+0x184/0x450 sock_recvmsg+0xde/0xf0 Allocated by task 133: kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x134/0x440 __nf_conntrack_alloc+0xa8/0x2b0 ctnetlink_create_conntrack+0xa1/0x900 ctnetlink_new_conntrack+0x3cf/0x7d0 nfnetlink_rcv_msg+0x48e/0x510 netlink_rcv_skb+0xc9/0x1f0 nfnetlink_rcv+0xdb/0x220 netlink_unicast+0x3ec/0x590 netlink_sendmsg+0x397/0x690 __sys_sendmsg+0xf4/0x180 Freed by task 0: slab_free_after_rcu_debug+0xad/0x1e0 rcu_core+0x5c3/0x9c0
02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE
Affected packages
11 explicit affected versions
53 explicit affected versions
116 explicit affected versions
87 explicit affected versions
50 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
19 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
97 explicit affected versions
59 explicit affected versions
24 explicit affected versions
82 explicit affected versions
83 explicit affected versions
91 explicit affected versions
84 explicit affected versions
76 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
37 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
89 explicit affected versions
191 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
84 explicit affected versions
40 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
85 explicit affected versions
44 explicit affected versions
35 explicit affected versions
49 explicit affected versions
47 explicit affected versions
18 explicit affected versions
40 explicit affected versions
118 explicit affected versions
62 explicit affected versions
45 explicit affected versions
120 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
4 explicit affected versions
121 explicit affected versions
23 explicit affected versions
52 explicit affected versions
124 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
21 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
20 explicit affected versions
76 explicit affected versions
48 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
111 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
17 explicit affected versions
104 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
105 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
41 explicit affected versions
120 explicit affected versions
43 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
17 explicit affected versions
27 explicit affected versions
34 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
37 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
39 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
65 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
144 explicit affected versions
34 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
29 explicit affected versions
111 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
95 explicit affected versions
41 explicit affected versions
40 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
100 explicit affected versions
89 explicit affected versions
52 explicit affected versions
33 explicit affected versions
23 explicit affected versions
58 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
20 explicit affected versions
188 explicit affected versions
19 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
138 explicit affected versions
2 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
74 explicit affected versions
132 explicit affected versions
90 explicit affected versions
165 explicit affected versions
154 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
39 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
66 explicit affected versions
35 explicit affected versions
48 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
46 explicit affected versions
139 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
88 explicit affected versions
50 explicit affected versions
116 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
132 explicit affected versions
93 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
2 explicit affected versions
15 explicit affected versions
51 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
92 explicit affected versions
18 explicit affected versions
43 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
70 explicit affected versions
77 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
27 explicit affected versions
63 explicit affected versions
121 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
98 explicit affected versions
43 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
54 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
46 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
110 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
72 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
140 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
94 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
9 explicit affected versions
36 explicit affected versions
108 explicit affected versions
80 explicit affected versions
56 explicit affected versions
44 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
45 explicit affected versions
37 explicit affected versions
50 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
38 explicit affected versions
167 explicit affected versions
9 explicit affected versions
17 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
39 explicit affected versions
18 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
90 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
97 explicit affected versions
121 explicit affected versions
4 explicit affected versions
79 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
88 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
43 explicit affected versions
77 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
119 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
45 explicit affected versions
88 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
4 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
69 explicit affected versions
123 explicit affected versions
19 explicit affected versions
39 explicit affected versions
77 explicit affected versions
03 / CONNECTIONS
Connected vulnerabilities
04 / EVIDENCE
Source records
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: ctnetlink: fix use-after-free in ctnetlink_dump_exp_ct() ctnetlink_dump_exp_ct() stores a conntrack pointer in cb->data for the netlink dump callback ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table(), but drops the conntrack reference immediately after netlink_dump_start(). When the dump spans multiple rounds, the second recvmsg() triggers the dump callback which dereferences the now-freed conntrack via nfct_help(ct), leading to a use-after-free on ct->ext. The bug is that the netlink_dump_control has no .start or .done callbacks to manage the conntrack reference across dump rounds. Other dump functions in the same file (e.g. ctnetlink_get_conntrack) properly use .start/.done callbacks for this purpose. Fix this by adding .start and .done callbacks that hold and release the conntrack reference for the duration of the dump, and move the nfct_help() call after the cb->args[0] early-return check in the dump callback to avoid dereferencing ct->ext unnecessarily. BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table+0x4f/0x2e0 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88810597ebf0 by task ctnetlink_poc/133 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 133 Comm: ctnetlink_poc Not tainted 7.0.0-rc2+ #3 PREEMPTLAZY Call Trace: <TASK> ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table+0x4f/0x2e0 netlink_dump+0x333/0x880 netlink_recvmsg+0x3e2/0x4b0 ? aa_sk_perm+0x184/0x450 sock_recvmsg+0xde/0xf0 Allocated by task 133: kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x134/0x440 __nf_conntrack_alloc+0xa8/0x2b0 ctnetlink_create_conntrack+0xa1/0x900 ctnetlink_new_conntrack+0x3cf/0x7d0 nfnetlink_rcv_msg+0x48e/0x510 netlink_rcv_skb+0xc9/0x1f0 nfnetlink_rcv+0xdb/0x220 netlink_unicast+0x3ec/0x590 netlink_sendmsg+0x397/0x690 __sys_sendmsg+0xf4/0x180 Freed by task 0: slab_free_after_rcu_debug+0xad/0x1e0 rcu_core+0x5c3/0x9c0
05 / REFERENCES
Further evidence
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/5cb81eeda909dbb2def209dd10636b51549a3f8a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/04c8907ce4e3d3e26c5e1a3e47aa5d17082cbb56
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5cb81eeda909dbb2def209dd10636b51549a3f8a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bdf2724eefd4455a66863abb025bab8d3aa98c57
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd541f15b60e2257441398cf495d978f816d09f8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f025171feef2ac65663d7986f1d5ff0c28d6b2a9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f04cc86d59906513d2d62183b882966fc0ae0390
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-23458
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8567-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8574-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8574-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8574-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8575-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8575-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8575-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8576-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8576-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8595-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8595-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8595-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8596-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8597-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8606-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8607-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8608-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8609-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8610-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8619-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8620-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8620-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8620-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8620-4
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-23458