Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Remote unauthenticated but requires SCTP enabled plus backlog/RCU timing to hit the freed transport (AC:H); primary realistic impact is a kernel crash (A:H) with lesser, uncertain memory-disclosure/corruption potential (C:L/I:L).
Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).
CVSS VectorVendor: Linux
Lifecycle Timeline
6DescriptionCVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
sctp: stop processing a packet once its association is deleted
sctp_endpoint_bh_rcv() looks the association up only when chunk->asoc is NULL, and caches the result in chunk->asoc and chunk->transport without taking a reference.
A packet that matches no association is handed to the endpoint, so a peer can bundle COOKIE ECHO, SHUTDOWN and SHUTDOWN ACK in one packet. The COOKIE ECHO creates the association, the SHUTDOWN chunk caches it, and with the outqueue empty the SHUTDOWN ACK reaches sctp_sf_do_9_2_final(), so the association and its transports are freed.
The endpoint loop has no counterpart to the asoc->base.dead check in sctp_assoc_bh_rcv(). The next chunk writes to last_time_heard in the freed transport and is then passed to sctp_do_sm() with the freed association. The transport is freed through RCU, so this needs the packet to come off the socket backlog, where the loop runs in task context.
The endpoint loop cannot do the same check: it holds no reference on the association, so reading asoc->base.dead would itself be a use-after-free. Mark the packet for discard in the command interpreter, just before it deletes the association. That is also before sctp_inq_free() releases the chunk on the association receive path.
sctp_sf_do_5_2_4_dupcook() issues SCTP_CMD_DELETE_TCB for the temporary association, while the one the packet belongs to stays alive. A restarting peer can bundle DATA behind its COOKIE ECHO, so compare against chunk->asoc and leave that case alone.
AnalysisAI
A remotely triggerable use-after-free in the Linux kernel SCTP stack (net/sctp) lets a malicious SCTP peer free an association and its transports mid-processing, then have the kernel operate on the freed memory. By bundling COOKIE ECHO, SHUTDOWN, and SHUTDOWN ACK chunks in one packet, the peer creates an association and immediately drives it to sctp_sf_do_9_2_final(), freeing it; a subsequent chunk in the same packet then writes to the freed transport (last_time_heard) and passes the freed association to sctp_do_sm(). …
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Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata
Vulnerability AssessmentAI
| Exploitation | Requires the target host to have the SCTP subsystem enabled/loaded and an SCTP endpoint reachable by the attacker. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment. |
| Risk Assessment | The input CVSS is 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/C:H/I:H/A:H), which follows the common pattern of Linux kernel CVEs being scored at maximum severity, but several signals argue for a lower real-world priority. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in. |
| Exploit Scenario | Full exploit scenario with step-by-step reproduction available after sign-in. |
| Remediation | Vendor-released patch: upgrade to Linux 6.12.109, 6.18.50, or 7.2.4 (or mainline 7.3-rc1) or a later distribution kernel incorporating the referenced fix commits from git.kernel.org. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report. |
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Within 24 hours, identify all Linux systems with SCTP protocol enabled and internet-facing services. …
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-76385
GHSA-2f22-4vgf-p33p