# CVE-2026-74562: nexthop: take nh->lock for f6i_list walks in replace check and notify

> A race condition in the Linux kernel nexthop subsystem allows a use-after-free, potentially leading to system crashes or arbitrary code execution.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-74562, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74562, GHSA-324p-252x-fjrc, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74562

## What is CVE-2026-74562?

CVE-2026-74562 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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:

nexthop: take nh->lock for f6i_list walks in replace check and notify

fib6_check_nh_list() and __nexthop_replace_notify() walk nh->f6i_list
during an RTNL-serialized nexthop replace without holding nh->lock. IPv6
RTM_NEWROUTE/RTM_DELROUTE run without RTNL and mutate that list under
nh->lock (fib6_add_rt2node_nh(), fib6_purge_rt()), so both walks race a
concurrent route delete that unlinks and frees a fib6_info:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in rt6_fill_node.isra.0 (net/ipv6/route.c:5799)
  Read of size 4 at addr ffff888014607e64 by task exploit/143
   rt6_fill_node.isra.0 (net/ipv6/route.c:5799)
   fib6_rt_update (net/ipv6/route.c:6412)
   __nexthop_replace_notify (net/ipv4/nexthop.c:2542)
   rtm_new_nexthop (net/ipv4/nexthop.c:2554)
   rtnetlink_rcv_msg (net/core/rtnetlink.c:7076)

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in fib6_check_nh_list (net/ipv4/nexthop.c:1605)
  Read of size 8 at addr ffff888014a7d068 by task exploit/142
   fib6_check_nh_list (net/ipv4/nexthop.c:1605)
   rtm_new_nexthop (net/ipv4/nexthop.c:2575)
   rtnetlink_rcv_msg (net/core/rtnetlink.c:7076)

Both walks only read the entries and take no tb6_lock, so protect them
with nh->lock; fib6_rt_update() uses gfp_any(), which returns GFP_ATOMIC
under the lock.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74562?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74562?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74562 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74562 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74562 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74562 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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-2026-74562 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-2026-74562/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74562/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74562
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74562
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74562

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74562/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.