# CVE-2026-80613: veth: fix NAPI leak in XDP enable error path

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel veth driver allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges when XDP enablement fails.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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:** 28 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-80613, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-80613, GHSA-6pj2-mj5g-xmxv, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-80613

## What is CVE-2026-80613?

CVE-2026-80613 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 28 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:

veth: fix NAPI leak in XDP enable error path

During XDP enablement in veth, if xdp_rxq_info_reg() or
xdp_rxq_info_reg_mem_model() fails, the driver rolls back the changes.

However, the rollback loop:
	for (i--; i >= start; i--) {

decrements the loop index 'i' before the first iteration. This
correctly skips unregistering the rxq for the failed index 'i' (as
registration failed or was already cleaned up), but it also
erroneously skips calling netif_napi_deli() for rq[i].xdp_napi.

Since netif_napi_add() was already called for index 'i', this leaves
a dangling napi_struct in the device's napi_list. When the veth
device is later destroyed, the freed queue memory (which contains the
leaked NAPI structure) can be reused.

The subsequent device teardown iterates the NAPI list and
corrupts the reallocated memory, leading to UAF.

Fix this by explicitly deleting the NAPI association for the failed
index 'i' before rolling back the successfully configured queues.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-80613?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-80613?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-80613 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-80613 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-80613 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-80613 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 28 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-2026-80613 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-2026-80613/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80613/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80613
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80613
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-80613

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-80613/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.