# CVE-2026-64024: tcp: fix stale per-CPU tcp_tw_isn leak enabling ISN prediction

> A stale per-CPU variable in the Linux kernel TCP stack allows attackers to predict Initial Sequence Numbers, potentially enabling TCP session hijacking.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/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:** 19 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64024, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64024, GHSA-h337-654q-329c, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-64024, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64024

## What is CVE-2026-64024?

CVE-2026-64024 is a critical vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Jul 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:

tcp: fix stale per-CPU tcp_tw_isn leak enabling ISN prediction

Blamed commit moved the TIME_WAIT-derived ISN from the skb control
block to a per-CPU variable, assuming the value would always be consumed
by tcp_conn_request() for the same packet that wrote it. That assumption
is violated by multiple drop paths between the producer
(__this_cpu_write(tcp_tw_isn, isn) in tcp_v{4,6}_rcv()) and the consumer
(tcp_conn_request()):

 - min_ttl / min_hopcount check
 - xfrm policy check
 - tcp_inbound_hash() MD5/AO mismatch
 - tcp_filter() eBPF/SO_ATTACH_FILTER drop
 - th->syn && th->fin discard in tcp_rcv_state_process() TCP_LISTEN
 - psp_sk_rx_policy_check() in tcp_v{4,6}_do_rcv()
 - tcp_checksum_complete() in tcp_v{4,6}_do_rcv()
 - tcp_v{4,6}_cookie_check() returning NULL

When a packet is dropped on any of these paths, tcp_tw_isn is left set.

The next SYN processed on the same CPU then consumes the non zero value in
tcp_conn_request(), receiving a potentially predictable ISN.

This patch moves back tcp_tw_isn to skb->cb[], getting rid of the per-cpu
variable.

Note that tcp_v{4,6}_fill_cb() do not set it.

Very litle impact on overall code size/complexity:

$ scripts/bloat-o-meter -t vmlinux.old vmlinux.new
add/remove: 0/0 grow/shrink: 2/1 up/down: 8/-15 (-7)
Function                                     old     new   delta
tcp_v6_rcv                                  3038    3042      +4
tcp_v4_rcv                                  3035    3039      +4
tcp_conn_request                            2938    2923     -15
Total: Before=24436060, After=24436053, chg -0.00%

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime), CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64024?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64024?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64024 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64024 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-2026-64024 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64024 is a critical vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Jul 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-2026-64024 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-2026-64024/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64024/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64024
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64024
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64024

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64024/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.