# CVE-2026-23445: igc: fix page fault in XDP TX timestamps handling

> A use-after-free in the igc network driver causes a kernel page fault and system crash when an XDP application shuts down while the link is up.

- **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:** 3 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-23445, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23445, GHSA-w2hf-gr87-g9jg, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-23445, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23445

## What is CVE-2026-23445?

CVE-2026-23445 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Apr 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:

igc: fix page fault in XDP TX timestamps handling

If an XDP application that requested TX timestamping is shutting down
while the link of the interface in use is still up the following kernel
splat is reported:

[  883.803618] [   T1554] BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffcfb6200fd008
...
[  883.803650] [   T1554] Call Trace:
[  883.803652] [   T1554]  <TASK>
[  883.803654] [   T1554]  igc_ptp_tx_tstamp_event+0xdf/0x160 [igc]
[  883.803660] [   T1554]  igc_tsync_interrupt+0x2d5/0x300 [igc]
...

During shutdown of the TX ring the xsk_meta pointers are left behind, so
that the IRQ handler is trying to touch them.

This issue is now being fixed by cleaning up the stale xsk meta data on
TX shutdown. TX timestamps on other queues remain unaffected.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23445?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-23445?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-23445 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23445 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-2026-23445 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-23445 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Apr 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-2026-23445 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-2026-23445/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23445/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-23445
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23445
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-23445

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23445/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.