CVE-2026-74660 netfilter: ebt_nflog: pin the NFLOG backend
A use-after-free in the Linux kernel netfilter ebt_nflog module allows attackers to execute code or escalate privileges by triggering a race condition during module unloading.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-74660?
CVE-2026-74660 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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:
netfilter: ebt_nflog: pin the NFLOG backend
nf_log_unregister() runs after the per-net teardown so its final RCU grace period also drains readers that obtained the logger from a per-net binding. However, ebt_nflog passes an explicit ULOG log type to nf_log_packet() without holding a reference on the selected logger module, unlike the xt_NFLOG and nft_log frontends.
An ebtables nflog rule can therefore remain callable while nfnetlink_log is unloaded. The resulting interleaving is:
CPU 0 CPU 1 nfnetlink_log_fini() unregister_pernet_subsys() kfree(nfnl_log_pernet(net)) ebt_nflog_tg() nf_log_packet() nfulnl_log_packet() instance_lookup_get_rcu()
The global ULOG logger is still registered at this point, so CPU 1 dereferences the per-net state after CPU 0 has freed it. KASAN reported:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in instance_lookup_get_rcu Read of size 8 at addr ff110001052e6210 by task poc/92 Call Trace: instance_lookup_get_rcu+0x1ce/0x1f0 [nfnetlink_log] nfulnl_log_packet+0x248/0x2fb0 [nfnetlink_log] nf_log_packet+0x204/0x300 ebt_nflog_tg+0x351/0x550 ebt_do_table+0xedf/0x22b0 Allocated by task 90: __kmalloc_noprof+0x186/0x470 ops_init+0x6d/0x420 register_pernet_operations+0x2f6/0x670 register_pernet_subsys+0x23/0x40 Freed by task 93: kfree+0x131/0x3c0 ops_undo_list+0x3e3/0x700 unregister_pernet_operations+0x232/0x490 unregister_pernet_subsys+0x1c/0x30 nfnetlink_log_fini+0x34/0x450 [nfnetlink_log]
Acquire the ULOG logger module reference when an ebt_nflog rule is validated and release it when the rule is destroyed. Request the NFLOG backend for legacy callers when needed, matching xt_NFLOG. This prevents module teardown until all ebt_nflog rules have stopped using the logger.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74660?
How do I fix CVE-2026-74660?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-74660 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74660 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-74660, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74660, GHSA-rg85-mp39-w62j, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74660.