CVE-2026-43455 mctp: route: hold key->lock in mctp_flow_prepare_output()

What is CVE-2026-43455?

CVE-2026-43455 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 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:

mctp: route: hold key->lock in mctp_flow_prepare_output()

mctp_flow_prepare_output() checks key->dev and may call mctp_dev_set_key(), but it does not hold key->lock while doing so.

mctp_dev_set_key() and mctp_dev_release_key() are annotated with __must_hold(&key->lock), so key->dev access is intended to be serialized by key->lock. The mctp_sendmsg() transmit path reaches mctp_flow_prepare_output() via mctp_local_output() -> mctp_dst_output() without holding key->lock, so the check-and-set sequence is racy.

Example interleaving:

CPU0 CPU1 ---- ---- mctp_flow_prepare_output(key, devA) if (!key->dev) // sees NULL mctp_flow_prepare_output( key, devB) if (!key->dev) // still NULL mctp_dev_set_key(devB, key) mctp_dev_hold(devB) key->dev = devB mctp_dev_set_key(devA, key) mctp_dev_hold(devA) key->dev = devA // overwrites devB

Now both devA and devB references were acquired, but only the final key->dev value is tracked for release. One reference can be lost, causing a resource leak as mctp_dev_release_key() would only decrease the reference on one dev.

Fix by taking key->lock around the key->dev check and mctp_dev_set_key() call.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43455?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2026-43455?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2026-43455 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43455 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-43455, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43455, GHSA-qq8v-696h-fhv2, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-43455, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-43455.