# CVE-2026-23294: bpf: Fix race in devmap on PREEMPT_RT

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's BPF devmap on PREEMPT_RT systems allows concurrent access leading to use-after-free and potential code execution.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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:** 25 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-23294, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23294, GHSA-4h26-3w83-pfh6, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23294

## What is CVE-2026-23294?

CVE-2026-23294 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. 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:

bpf: Fix race in devmap on PREEMPT_RT

On PREEMPT_RT kernels, the per-CPU xdp_dev_bulk_queue (bq) can be
accessed concurrently by multiple preemptible tasks on the same CPU.

The original code assumes bq_enqueue() and __dev_flush() run atomically
with respect to each other on the same CPU, relying on
local_bh_disable() to prevent preemption. However, on PREEMPT_RT,
local_bh_disable() only calls migrate_disable() (when
PREEMPT_RT_NEEDS_BH_LOCK is not set) and does not disable
preemption, which allows CFS scheduling to preempt a task during
bq_xmit_all(), enabling another task on the same CPU to enter
bq_enqueue() and operate on the same per-CPU bq concurrently.

This leads to several races:

1. Double-free / use-after-free on bq->q[]: bq_xmit_all() snapshots
   cnt = bq->count, then iterates bq->q[0..cnt-1] to transmit frames.
   If preempted after the snapshot, a second task can call bq_enqueue()
   -> bq_xmit_all() on the same bq, transmitting (and freeing) the
   same frames. When the first task resumes, it operates on stale
   pointers in bq->q[], causing use-after-free.

2. bq->count and bq->q[] corruption: concurrent bq_enqueue() modifying
   bq->count and bq->q[] while bq_xmit_all() is reading them.

3. dev_rx/xdp_prog teardown race: __dev_flush() clears bq->dev_rx and
   bq->xdp_prog after bq_xmit_all(). If preempted between
   bq_xmit_all() return and bq->dev_rx = NULL, a preempting
   bq_enqueue() sees dev_rx still set (non-NULL), skips adding bq to
   the flush_list, and enqueues a frame. When __dev_flush() resumes,
   it clears dev_rx and removes bq from the flush_list, orphaning the
   newly enqueued frame.

4. __list_del_clearprev() on flush_node: similar to the cpumap race,
   both tasks can call __list_del_clearprev() on the same flush_node,
   the second dereferences the prev pointer already set to NULL.

The race between task A (__dev_flush -> bq_xmit_all) and task B
(bq_enqueue -> bq_xmit_all) on the same CPU:

  Task A (xdp_do_flush)          Task B (ndo_xdp_xmit redirect)
  ----------------------         --------------------------------
  __dev_flush(flush_list)
    bq_xmit_all(bq)
      cnt = bq->count  /* e.g. 16 */
      /* start iterating bq->q[] */
    <-- CFS preempts Task A -->
                                   bq_enqueue(dev, xdpf)
                                     bq->count == DEV_MAP_BULK_SIZE
                                     bq_xmit_all(bq, 0)
                                       cnt = bq->count  /* same 16! */
                                       ndo_xdp_xmit(bq->q[])
                                       /* frames freed by driver */
                                       bq->count = 0
    <-- Task A resumes -->
      ndo_xdp_xmit(bq->q[])
      /* use-after-free: frames already freed! */

Fix this by adding a local_lock_t to xdp_dev_bulk_queue and acquiring
it in bq_enqueue() and __dev_flush(). These paths already run under
local_bh_disable(), so use local_lock_nested_bh() which on non-RT is
a pure annotation with no overhead, and on PREEMPT_RT provides a
per-CPU sleeping lock that serializes access to the bq.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23294?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-23294?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-23294 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23294 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-2026-23294 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-23294 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. 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-2026-23294 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-2026-23294/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23294/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-23294
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23294
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-23294

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23294/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.