# CVE-2024-26861: wireguard: receive: annotate data-race around receiving_counter.counter

> A data race in the Linux kernel WireGuard module could lead to undefined behavior, requiring kernel patching to ensure correct counter handling.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 17 Apr 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-26861, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-26861, GHSA-qhhp-8c9r-qpm8, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-26861

## What is CVE-2024-26861?

CVE-2024-26861 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 17 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:

wireguard: receive: annotate data-race around receiving_counter.counter

Syzkaller with KCSAN identified a data-race issue when accessing
keypair->receiving_counter.counter. Use READ_ONCE() and WRITE_ONCE()
annotations to mark the data race as intentional.

    BUG: KCSAN: data-race in wg_packet_decrypt_worker / wg_packet_rx_poll

    write to 0xffff888107765888 of 8 bytes by interrupt on cpu 0:
     counter_validate drivers/net/wireguard/receive.c:321 [inline]
     wg_packet_rx_poll+0x3ac/0xf00 drivers/net/wireguard/receive.c:461
     __napi_poll+0x60/0x3b0 net/core/dev.c:6536
     napi_poll net/core/dev.c:6605 [inline]
     net_rx_action+0x32b/0x750 net/core/dev.c:6738
     __do_softirq+0xc4/0x279 kernel/softirq.c:553
     do_softirq+0x5e/0x90 kernel/softirq.c:454
     __local_bh_enable_ip+0x64/0x70 kernel/softirq.c:381
     __raw_spin_unlock_bh include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:167 [inline]
     _raw_spin_unlock_bh+0x36/0x40 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:210
     spin_unlock_bh include/linux/spinlock.h:396 [inline]
     ptr_ring_consume_bh include/linux/ptr_ring.h:367 [inline]
     wg_packet_decrypt_worker+0x6c5/0x700 drivers/net/wireguard/receive.c:499
     process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:2633 [inline]
     ...

    read to 0xffff888107765888 of 8 bytes by task 3196 on cpu 1:
     decrypt_packet drivers/net/wireguard/receive.c:252 [inline]
     wg_packet_decrypt_worker+0x220/0x700 drivers/net/wireguard/receive.c:501
     process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:2633 [inline]
     process_scheduled_works+0x5b8/0xa30 kernel/workqueue.c:2706
     worker_thread+0x525/0x730 kernel/workqueue.c:2787
     ...

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-26861?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-26861?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-26861 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-26861 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)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [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-2024-26861 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-26861 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 17 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-2024-26861 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-2024-26861/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26861/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-26861
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-26861
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-26861

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26861/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.