Linux Linux Kernel
CVE-2026-64045
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ovpn: tcp - use cached peer pointer in ovpn_tcp_close() ovpn_tcp_close() loads the ovpn_socket via rcu_dereference_sk_user_data() under rcu_read_lock(), takes a reference on sock->peer, caches the peer pointer in a local, and drops the read lock. It then passes sock->peer (rather than the cached local) to ovpn_peer_del(), re-dereferencing the ovpn_socket after the RCU read section has ended. Unlike ovpn_tcp_sendmsg(), which uses the same "load under RCU, use after unlock" pattern but is protected by lock_sock() held across the function, ovpn_tcp_close() runs without the socket lock: inet_release() invokes sk_prot->close() without taking lock_sock first. ovpn_socket_release() can therefore complete its kref_put -> detach -> synchronize_rcu -> kfree(sock) sequence concurrently, in the window after ovpn_tcp_close() drops rcu_read_lock() but before it dereferences sock->peer. The synchronize_rcu() in ovpn_socket_release() protects readers that use the dereferenced pointer inside the RCU read section, not those that escape the pointer to a local and use it afterwards. A reproducer follows the pattern of commit 94560267d6c4 ("ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close()"): trigger a peer removal (keepalive expiration or netlink OVPN_CMD_DEL_PEER) at the same moment userspace closes the TCP fd. That commit fixed the detach-side of the same race window; this one fixes the close-side at a different victim. Tighten the entry block to read sock->peer exactly once into the cached peer local, and route all subsequent uses (the hold check, the ovpn_peer_del() call, and the prot->close() invocation) through that local. sock->peer is only ever written once in ovpn_socket_new() under lock_sock(), before rcu_assign_sk_user_data() publishes the ovpn_socket, and is never reassigned afterwards - but the previous multi-read pattern made that invariant implicit rather than explicit. The same multi-read
What this means for your business
- It affects Linux Kernel. It matters if your company, or a supplier that handles your data, runs it.
- An attacker can use it only with access to the machine itself, without a login, and without anyone at your company clicking anything.
- FIRST's prediction model gives it a 0.2% chance of attack attempts being seen in the next 30 days, ranking above 7% of all known flaws.
What to do
- 1Check whether your company or your suppliers run Linux Kernel, and which version. The affected versions are listed further down this page.
- 2If you do, apply the vendor's fix. A patch or vendor advisory has been published.
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Scoring
- CVSS
- 8.4 (v3.1)
- Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness
- CWE-476
- Assigned by
- 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Dates
- Published
- 2026-07-19
- Last modified
- 2026-09-02
- Sources
- NVD
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel6.16 - 6.18.34, 6.19 - 7.0.11, 7.1
As listed in the NVD configuration data. Not a statement about your estate.