# CVE-2024-26804: net: ip_tunnel: prevent perpetual headroom growth

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel IP tunnel code allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted network packets.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 4 Apr 2024
- **Updated:** 12 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-26804, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-26804, GHSA-jj9v-ff2v-cgx9, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-26804

## What is CVE-2024-26804?

CVE-2024-26804 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 4 Apr 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: ip_tunnel: prevent perpetual headroom growth

syzkaller triggered following kasan splat:
BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in __skb_flow_dissect+0x19d1/0x7a50 net/core/flow_dissector.c:1170
Read of size 1 at addr ffff88812fb4000e by task syz-executor183/5191
[..]
 kasan_report+0xda/0x110 mm/kasan/report.c:588
 __skb_flow_dissect+0x19d1/0x7a50 net/core/flow_dissector.c:1170
 skb_flow_dissect_flow_keys include/linux/skbuff.h:1514 [inline]
 ___skb_get_hash net/core/flow_dissector.c:1791 [inline]
 __skb_get_hash+0xc7/0x540 net/core/flow_dissector.c:1856
 skb_get_hash include/linux/skbuff.h:1556 [inline]
 ip_tunnel_xmit+0x1855/0x33c0 net/ipv4/ip_tunnel.c:748
 ipip_tunnel_xmit+0x3cc/0x4e0 net/ipv4/ipip.c:308
 __netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4940 [inline]
 netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4954 [inline]
 xmit_one net/core/dev.c:3548 [inline]
 dev_hard_start_xmit+0x13d/0x6d0 net/core/dev.c:3564
 __dev_queue_xmit+0x7c1/0x3d60 net/core/dev.c:4349
 dev_queue_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:3134 [inline]
 neigh_connected_output+0x42c/0x5d0 net/core/neighbour.c:1592
 ...
 ip_finish_output2+0x833/0x2550 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:235
 ip_finish_output+0x31/0x310 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:323
 ..
 iptunnel_xmit+0x5b4/0x9b0 net/ipv4/ip_tunnel_core.c:82
 ip_tunnel_xmit+0x1dbc/0x33c0 net/ipv4/ip_tunnel.c:831
 ipgre_xmit+0x4a1/0x980 net/ipv4/ip_gre.c:665
 __netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4940 [inline]
 netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4954 [inline]
 xmit_one net/core/dev.c:3548 [inline]
 dev_hard_start_xmit+0x13d/0x6d0 net/core/dev.c:3564
 ...

The splat occurs because skb->data points past skb->head allocated area.
This is because neigh layer does:
  __skb_pull(skb, skb_network_offset(skb));

... but skb_network_offset() returns a negative offset and __skb_pull()
arg is unsigned.  IOW, we skb->data gets "adjusted" by a huge value.

The negative value is returned because skb->head and skb->data distance is
more than 64k and skb->network_header (u16) has wrapped around.

The bug is in the ip_tunnel infrastructure, which can cause
dev->needed_headroom to increment ad infinitum.

The syzkaller reproducer consists of packets getting routed via a gre
tunnel, and route of gre encapsulated packets pointing at another (ipip)
tunnel.  The ipip encapsulation finds gre0 as next output device.

This results in the following pattern:

1). First packet is to be sent out via gre0.
Route lookup found an output device, ipip0.

2).
ip_tunnel_xmit for gre0 bumps gre0->needed_headroom based on the future
output device, rt.dev->needed_headroom (ipip0).

3).
ip output / start_xmit moves skb on to ipip0. which runs the same
code path again (xmit recursion).

4).
Routing step for the post-gre0-encap packet finds gre0 as output device
to use for ipip0 encapsulated packet.

tunl0->needed_headroom is then incremented based on the (already bumped)
gre0 device headroom.

This repeats for every future packet:

gre0->needed_headroom gets inflated because previous packets' ipip0 step
incremented rt->dev (gre0) headroom, and ipip0 incremented because gre0
needed_headroom was increased.

For each subsequent packet, gre/ipip0->needed_headroom grows until
post-expand-head reallocations result in a skb->head/data distance of
more than 64k.

Once that happens, skb->network_header (u16) wraps around when
pskb_expand_head tries to make sure that skb_network_offset() is unchanged
after the headroom expansion/reallocation.

After this skb_network_offset(skb) returns a different (and negative)
result post headroom expansion.

The next trip to neigh layer (or anything else that would __skb_pull the
network header) makes skb->data point to a memory location outside
skb->head area.

v2: Cap the needed_headroom update to an arbitarily chosen upperlimit to
prevent perpetual increase instead of dropping the headroom increment
completely.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-26804?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-26804?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-26804 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-26804 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
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- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-26804 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-26804 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 4 Apr 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-26804 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Debian Debian Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26804/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26804/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-26804
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-26804
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-26804

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26804/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.