# CVE-2026-74625: netfilter: bridge: release template ct on non-IP path

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel bridge netfilter allows attackers to exhaust slab memory via non-IP packets, causing denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 22 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-97284, BELL-CVE-2026-74625, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74625, GHSA-vjwv-39q4-jxgj, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74625

## What is CVE-2026-74625?

CVE-2026-74625 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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:

netfilter: bridge: release template ct on non-IP path

A bridge nftables ct zone set rule can attach a conntrack template to
an skb before nf_ct_bridge_pre() sees it. For non-IPv4 and non-IPv6
EtherTypes, nf_ct_bridge_pre() currently overwrites skb->_nfct with
IP_CT_UNTRACKED without releasing the existing template reference.

That makes the per-cpu template, and any temporary templates allocated
for concurrent use, unreachable and leaks memory until the host runs out
of slab.

Reset the skb conntrack state before marking the frame untracked so the
existing template reference is dropped on the non-IP path.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74625?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74625?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74625 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74625 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74625 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74625 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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-2026-74625 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-2026-74625/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74625/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74625
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74625
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74625

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74625/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.