# CVE-2026-43050: atm: lec: fix use-after-free in sock_def_readable()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel ATM LEC module causes a use-after-free, potentially allowing local attackers to execute code or crash the system.

- **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:** 1 May 2026
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-43050, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43050, GHSA-jhj6-5p6x-hw75, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-43050, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-43050, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-43050, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-43050

## What is CVE-2026-43050?

CVE-2026-43050 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 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:

atm: lec: fix use-after-free in sock_def_readable()

A race condition exists between lec_atm_close() setting priv->lecd
to NULL and concurrent access to priv->lecd in send_to_lecd(),
lec_handle_bridge(), and lec_atm_send(). When the socket is freed
via RCU while another thread is still using it, a use-after-free
occurs in sock_def_readable() when accessing the socket's wait queue.

The root cause is that lec_atm_close() clears priv->lecd without
any synchronization, while callers dereference priv->lecd without
any protection against concurrent teardown.

Fix this by converting priv->lecd to an RCU-protected pointer:
- Mark priv->lecd as __rcu in lec.h
- Use rcu_assign_pointer() in lec_atm_close() and lecd_attach()
  for safe pointer assignment
- Use rcu_access_pointer() for NULL checks that do not dereference
  the pointer in lec_start_xmit(), lec_push(), send_to_lecd() and
  lecd_attach()
- Use rcu_read_lock/rcu_dereference/rcu_read_unlock in send_to_lecd(),
  lec_handle_bridge() and lec_atm_send() to safely access lecd
- Use rcu_assign_pointer() followed by synchronize_rcu() in
  lec_atm_close() to ensure all readers have completed before
  proceeding. This is safe since lec_atm_close() is called from
  vcc_release() which holds lock_sock(), a sleeping lock.
- Remove the manual sk_receive_queue drain from lec_atm_close()
  since vcc_destroy_socket() already drains it after lec_atm_close()
  returns.

v2: Switch from spinlock + sock_hold/put approach to RCU to properly
    fix the race. The v1 spinlock approach had two issues pointed out
    by Eric Dumazet:
    1. priv->lecd was still accessed directly after releasing the
       lock instead of using a local copy.
    2. The spinlock did not prevent packets being queued after
       lec_atm_close() drains sk_receive_queue since timer and
       workqueue paths bypass netif_stop_queue().

Note: Syzbot patch testing was attempted but the test VM terminated
    unexpectedly with "Connection to localhost closed by remote host",
    likely due to a QEMU AHCI emulation issue unrelated to this fix.
    Compile testing with "make W=1 net/atm/lec.o" passes cleanly.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43050?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-43050?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-43050 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43050 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-2026-43050 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-43050 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 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-2026-43050 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-2026-43050/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43050/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43050
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43050
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-43050

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43050/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.