# CVE-2026-46102: net: strparser: fix skb_head leak in strp_abort_strp()

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel's stream parser allows attackers to exhaust system memory by repeatedly aborting stream parsing, causing denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 May 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-88593, BELL-CVE-2026-46102, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46102, GHSA-mr4j-h79v-vcp9, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-46102, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-46102, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-46102, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-46102, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46102

## What is CVE-2026-46102?

CVE-2026-46102 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: strparser: fix skb_head leak in strp_abort_strp()

When the stream parser is aborted, for example after a message assembly timeout,
it can still hold a reference to a partially assembled message in
strp->skb_head.

That skb is not released in strp_abort_strp(), which leaks the partially
assembled message and can be triggered repeatedly to exhaust memory.

Fix this by freeing strp->skb_head and resetting the parser state in the
abort path. Leave strp_stop() unchanged so final cleanup still happens in
strp_done() after the work and timer have been synchronized.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46102?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46102?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46102 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46102 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-2026-46102 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46102 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46102 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-2026-46102/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46102/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46102
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46102
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46102

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46102/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.