# CVE-2026-53094: bpf: Fix stale offload->prog pointer after constant blinding

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel BPF subsystem allows local attackers to cause a system crash via page faults when destroying network namespaces with specific JIT hardening settings.

- **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:** BELL-CVE-2026-53094, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53094, GHSA-c5q6-h25m-p95j, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-53094, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53094

## What is CVE-2026-53094?

CVE-2026-53094 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:

bpf: Fix stale offload->prog pointer after constant blinding

When a dev-bound-only BPF program (BPF_F_XDP_DEV_BOUND_ONLY) undergoes
JIT compilation with constant blinding enabled (bpf_jit_harden >= 2),
bpf_jit_blind_constants() clones the program. The original prog is then
freed in bpf_jit_prog_release_other(), which updates aux->prog to point
to the surviving clone, but fails to update offload->prog.

This leaves offload->prog pointing to the freed original program. When
the network namespace is subsequently destroyed, cleanup_net() triggers
bpf_dev_bound_netdev_unregister(), which iterates ondev->progs and calls
__bpf_prog_offload_destroy(offload->prog). Accessing the freed prog
causes a page fault:

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffc900085f1038
Workqueue: netns cleanup_net
RIP: 0010:__bpf_prog_offload_destroy+0xc/0x80
Call Trace:
__bpf_offload_dev_netdev_unregister+0x257/0x350
bpf_dev_bound_netdev_unregister+0x4a/0x90
unregister_netdevice_many_notify+0x2a2/0x660
...
cleanup_net+0x21a/0x320

The test sequence that triggers this reliably is:

1. Set net.core.bpf_jit_harden=2 (echo 2 > /proc/sys/net/core/bpf_jit_harden)
2. Run xdp_metadata selftest, which creates a dev-bound-only XDP
   program on a veth inside a netns (./test_progs -t xdp_metadata)
3. cleanup_net -> page fault in __bpf_prog_offload_destroy

Dev-bound-only programs are unique in that they have an offload structure
but go through the normal JIT path instead of bpf_prog_offload_compile().
This means they are subject to constant blinding's prog clone-and-replace,
while also having offload->prog that must stay in sync.

Fix this by updating offload->prog in bpf_jit_prog_release_other(),
alongside the existing aux->prog update. Both are back-pointers to
the prog that must be kept in sync when the prog is replaced.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53094?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53094?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53094 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53094 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-2026-53094 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53094 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-2026-53094 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-2026-53094/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53094/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53094
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53094
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53094

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53094/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.