# CVE-2024-26865: rds: tcp: Fix use-after-free of net in reqsk_timer_handler().

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RDS TCP module allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted network connections.

- **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:** 17 Apr 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-54972, BELL-CVE-2024-26865, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-26865, GHSA-vp2f-c695-vxrg, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2024-26865, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-26865

## What is CVE-2024-26865?

CVE-2024-26865 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, 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:

rds: tcp: Fix use-after-free of net in reqsk_timer_handler().

syzkaller reported a warning of netns tracker [0] followed by KASAN
splat [1] and another ref tracker warning [1].

syzkaller could not find a repro, but in the log, the only suspicious
sequence was as follows:

  18:26:22 executing program 1:
  r0 = socket$inet6_mptcp(0xa, 0x1, 0x106)
  ...
  connect$inet6(r0, &(0x7f0000000080)={0xa, 0x4001, 0x0, @loopback}, 0x1c) (async)

The notable thing here is 0x4001 in connect(), which is RDS_TCP_PORT.

So, the scenario would be:

  1. unshare(CLONE_NEWNET) creates a per netns tcp listener in
      rds_tcp_listen_init().
  2. syz-executor connect()s to it and creates a reqsk.
  3. syz-executor exit()s immediately.
  4. netns is dismantled.  [0]
  5. reqsk timer is fired, and UAF happens while freeing reqsk.  [1]
  6. listener is freed after RCU grace period.  [2]

Basically, reqsk assumes that the listener guarantees netns safety
until all reqsk timers are expired by holding the listener's refcount.
However, this was not the case for kernel sockets.

Commit 740ea3c4a0b2 ("tcp: Clean up kernel listener's reqsk in
inet_twsk_purge()") fixed this issue only for per-netns ehash.

Let's apply the same fix for the global ehash.

[0]:
ref_tracker: net notrefcnt@0000000065449cc3 has 1/1 users at
     sk_alloc (./include/net/net_namespace.h:337 net/core/sock.c:2146)
     inet6_create (net/ipv6/af_inet6.c:192 net/ipv6/af_inet6.c:119)
     __sock_create (net/socket.c:1572)
     rds_tcp_listen_init (net/rds/tcp_listen.c:279)
     rds_tcp_init_net (net/rds/tcp.c:577)
     ops_init (net/core/net_namespace.c:137)
     setup_net (net/core/net_namespace.c:340)
     copy_net_ns (net/core/net_namespace.c:497)
     create_new_namespaces (kernel/nsproxy.c:110)
     unshare_nsproxy_namespaces (kernel/nsproxy.c:228 (discriminator 4))
     ksys_unshare (kernel/fork.c:3429)
     __x64_sys_unshare (kernel/fork.c:3496)
     do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83)
     entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:129)
...
WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 27 at lib/ref_tracker.c:179 ref_tracker_dir_exit (lib/ref_tracker.c:179)

[1]:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop (./include/net/inet_hashtables.h:180 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:952 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:966)
Read of size 8 at addr ffff88801b370400 by task swapper/0/0
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.0-0-gd239552ce722-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
Call Trace:
 <IRQ>
 dump_stack_lvl (lib/dump_stack.c:107 (discriminator 1))
 print_report (mm/kasan/report.c:378 mm/kasan/report.c:488)
 kasan_report (mm/kasan/report.c:603)
 inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop (./include/net/inet_hashtables.h:180 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:952 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:966)
 reqsk_timer_handler (net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:979 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:1092)
 call_timer_fn (./arch/x86/include/asm/jump_label.h:27 ./include/linux/jump_label.h:207 ./include/trace/events/timer.h:127 kernel/time/timer.c:1701)
 __run_timers.part.0 (kernel/time/timer.c:1752 kernel/time/timer.c:2038)
 run_timer_softirq (kernel/time/timer.c:2053)
 __do_softirq (./arch/x86/include/asm/jump_label.h:27 ./include/linux/jump_label.h:207 ./include/trace/events/irq.h:142 kernel/softirq.c:554)
 irq_exit_rcu (kernel/softirq.c:427 kernel/softirq.c:632 kernel/softirq.c:644)
 sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt (arch/x86/kernel/apic/apic.c:1076 (discriminator 14))
 </IRQ>

Allocated by task 258 on cpu 0 at 83.612050s:
 kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:48)
 kasan_save_track (mm/kasan/common.c:68)
 __kasan_slab_alloc (mm/kasan/common.c:343)
 kmem_cache_alloc (mm/slub.c:3813 mm/slub.c:3860 mm/slub.c:3867)
 copy_net_ns (./include/linux/slab.h:701 net/core/net_namespace.c:421 net/core/net_namespace.c:480)
 create_new_namespaces (kernel/nsproxy.c:110)
 unshare_nsproxy_name
---truncated---

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-26865?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-26865?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-26865 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-26865 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-26865 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-26865 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, 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-2024-26865 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2024-26865/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26865/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-26865
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-26865
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-26865

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26865/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.