CVE-2026-52984 net/sched: netem: fix queue limit check to include reordered packets

Medium 5.5 Published Updated

A flaw in the Linux kernel netem scheduler allows queue limits to be exceeded, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and denial of service.

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

What is CVE-2026-52984?

CVE-2026-52984 is a medium-severity denial of service 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/sched: netem: fix queue limit check to include reordered packets

The queue limit check in netem_enqueue() uses q->t_len which only counts packets in the internal tfifo. Packets placed in sch->q by the reorder path (__qdisc_enqueue_head) are not counted, allowing the total queue occupancy to exceed sch->limit under reordering.

Include sch->q.qlen in the limit check.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-52984?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2026-52984?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.

Is CVE-2026-52984 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-52984 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-52984, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-52984, GHSA-29w2-r4qv-vcrw, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-52984, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-52984, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-52984.

Is CVE-2026-52984 in your software?

Upload an SBOM and sbomify checks it against every vulnerability here, every day.

Check your SBOMs for free