# CVE-2026-68122: ovpn: fix peer refcount leak in TCP error paths

> A race condition in the Linux kernel OVPN module causes a peer reference count leak, potentially leading to memory exhaustion and denial of service.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-68122, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-68122, GHSA-76xv-8vj7-3x63, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-68122

## What is CVE-2026-68122?

CVE-2026-68122 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 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:

ovpn: fix peer refcount leak in TCP error paths

When either the TCP RX or TX error path calls ovpn_peer_hold() followed
by schedule_work(&peer->tcp.defer_del_work), and the work item is already
pending from the other path, schedule_work() returns false and the work
runs only once. Since ovpn_tcp_peer_del_work() calls ovpn_peer_put()
exactly once, the extra reference taken by the losing path is never
dropped, leaking the peer object.

The race window:

  CPU0 (strparser/RX error):       CPU1 (tcp_tx_work/TX error):
  ovpn_peer_hold()   <- refcnt+1   ovpn_peer_hold()   <- refcnt+2
  schedule_work()    <- queued      schedule_work()    <- NO-OP
                                    (work already pending)
  ovpn_tcp_peer_del_work runs:
    ovpn_peer_del()
    ovpn_peer_put()  <- refcnt+1
                                   <- peer never freed

Fix by checking the return value of schedule_work() in both paths and
calling ovpn_peer_put() to drop the extra reference if the work was
already pending. ovpn_peer_hold() is kept unconditional in the TX path
as it cannot fail at that point.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-68122?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-68122?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-68122 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-68122 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-68122 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-68122 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 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-2026-68122 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-68122/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68122/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-68122
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68122
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-68122

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68122/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.