# CVE-2026-53009: ice: fix double-free of tx_buf skb

> A double-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel ice driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted network traffic.

- **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:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-90678, BELL-CVE-2026-53009, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53009, GHSA-67p5-53x6-9j7q, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-53009, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-53009, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-53009, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-53009, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-53009, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53009

## What is CVE-2026-53009?

CVE-2026-53009 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:

ice: fix double-free of tx_buf skb

If ice_tso() or ice_tx_csum() fail, the error path in
ice_xmit_frame_ring() frees the skb, but the 'first' tx_buf still points
to it and is marked as valid (ICE_TX_BUF_SKB).
'next_to_use' remains unchanged, so the potential problem will
likely fix itself when the next packet is transmitted and the tx_buf
gets overwritten. But if there is no next packet and the interface is
brought down instead, ice_clean_tx_ring() -> ice_unmap_and_free_tx_buf()
will find the tx_buf and free the skb for the second time.

The fix is to reset the tx_buf type to ICE_TX_BUF_EMPTY in the error
path, so that ice_unmap_and_free_tx_buf().
Move the initialization of 'first' up, to ensure it's already valid in
case we hit the linearization error path.

The bug was spotted by AI while I had it looking for something else.
It also proposed an initial version of the patch.

I reproduced the bug and tested the fix by adding code to inject
failures, on a build with KASAN.

I looked for similar bugs in related Intel drivers and did not find any.

Weakness: CWE-415 (Double Free), CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53009?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Linux kernel, Redhat Enterprise Linux.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53009?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53009 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53009 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-2026-53009 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53009 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-2026-53009 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-2026-53009/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53009/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53009
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53009
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53009

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53009/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.