CVE-2026-74464 net: openvswitch: fix skb leak on flow key update failure during ct
A memory leak in the Linux kernel Open vSwitch module allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by sending crafted packets that trigger a flow key update failure.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-74464?
CVE-2026-74464 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 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:
net: openvswitch: fix skb leak on flow key update failure during ct
ovs_ct_execute() always steals or frees the skb on failure while ovs_flow_key_update() does not. So, if it fails and we return right away, the skb ends up leaked.
Fix that by breaking instead and letting the common error handling code at the bottom of the loop to free the skb properly.
This is a very unlikely scenario as it requires the packet to become unparseable by applying a set of actions on a previously parseable skb, but should be fixed nevertheless.
Reported by Sashiko.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74464?
How do I fix CVE-2026-74464?
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-2026-74464 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74464 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-96087, BELL-CVE-2026-74464, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74464, GHSA-cvjv-6hmm-j2vv, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74464.