# CVE-2026-52943: net: skbuff: fix missing zerocopy reference in pskb_carve helpers

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel network stack allows local attackers to achieve root privilege escalation via crafted network packets.

- **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:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-90308, BELL-CVE-2026-52943, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-52943, GHSA-vwrr-994w-h832, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-52943, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-52943, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-52943, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-52943, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-52943

## What is CVE-2026-52943?

CVE-2026-52943 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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:

net: skbuff: fix missing zerocopy reference in pskb_carve helpers

pskb_carve_inside_header() and pskb_carve_inside_nonlinear() both copy
the old skb_shared_info header into a new buffer via memcpy(), which
includes the destructor_arg pointer (uarg) for MSG_ZEROCOPY skbs.
Neither function calls net_zcopy_get() for the new shinfo, creating an
unaccounted holder: every skb_shared_info with destructor_arg set will
call skb_zcopy_clear() once when freed, but the corresponding
net_zcopy_get() was never called for the new copy. Repeated calls
drive uarg->refcnt to zero prematurely, freeing ubuf_info_msgzc while
TX skbs still hold live destructor_arg pointers.

KASAN reports use-after-free on a freed ubuf_info_msgzc:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in skb_release_data+0x77b/0x810
  Read of size 8 at addr ffff88801574d3e8 by task poc/220

  Call Trace:
   skb_release_data+0x77b/0x810
   kfree_skb_list_reason+0x13e/0x610
   skb_release_data+0x4cd/0x810
   sk_skb_reason_drop+0xf3/0x340
   skb_queue_purge_reason+0x282/0x440
   rds_tcp_inc_free+0x1e/0x30
   rds_recvmsg+0x354/0x1780
   __sys_recvmsg+0xdf/0x180

  Allocated by task 219:
   msg_zerocopy_realloc+0x157/0x7b0
   tcp_sendmsg_locked+0x2892/0x3ba0

  Freed by task 219:
   ip_recv_error+0x74a/0xb10
   tcp_recvmsg+0x475/0x530

The skb consuming the late access still referenced the same uarg via
shinfo->destructor_arg copied by pskb_carve_inside_nonlinear() without
a refcount bump. This has been verified to be reliably exploitable: a
working proof-of-concept achieves full root privilege escalation from
an unprivileged local user on a default kernel configuration.

The fix follows the pattern of pskb_expand_head() which has the same
memcpy/cloned structure. For pskb_carve_inside_header(), net_zcopy_get()
is placed after skb_orphan_frags() succeeds, so the orphan error path
needs no cleanup. For pskb_carve_inside_nonlinear(), net_zcopy_get() is
placed after all failure points and just before skb_release_data(), so
no error path needs cleanup at all -- matching pskb_expand_head() more
closely and avoiding the need for a balancing net_zcopy_put().

Weakness: CWE-911 (Improper Update of Reference Count), CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-52943?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-52943?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-52943 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-52943 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- This is a Linux Kernel Local Privilege Escalation PoC code for CVE-2026-52943 a use-after-free in skbuff.c, my first 0day found by me in linux kernel (github_poc): https://github.com/vn-lazyming/CVE-2026-52943

## 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-2026-52943 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-52943 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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-2026-52943 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-2026-52943/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-52943/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-52943
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-52943
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-52943

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-52943/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.