Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain local access with veth/XDP management rights
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DeliveryReduce veth RX channels to tear down queues
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ExploitDetach or replace XDP program freeing it
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ExecutionIncrease channels re-enabling NAPI
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PersistKernel runs freed BPF program
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ImpactUse-after-free panic or code execution
Vulnerability Assessment
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires local access to a system with a veth (virtual Ethernet) device that has an XDP program attached, plus the capability to resize that device's channels and attach/detach XDP programs - normally CAP_NET_ADMIN, obtainable by an unprivileged user only where unprivileged user namespaces are permitted. The attacker must perform a specific sequence: shrink veth channels (tearing down XDP resources for removed RX queues without clearing rq->xdp_prog), then detach or replace the XDP program (freeing it via bpf_prog_put()), then increase channels again to re-enable NAPI so the stale pointer is used. Limiting factors: no network-facing vector (AV:L), the veth interface must actually have an XDP program in use, and the operation sequence requires channel/XDP management privileges; hosts that forbid unprivileged user namespaces substantially raise the required privilege level. |
| Impact | Signals point to a genuine but non-emergency local privilege/stability issue rather than a mass-exploitation threat. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) reflects a local, low-privilege vector with high impact on all three dimensions, consistent with a use-after-free in which NAPI can run a freed XDP/BPF program. Counterbalancing this, the EPSS probability is very low (0.16%, 5th percentile), there is no CISA KEV listing (not confirmed actively exploited), and no confirmed public exploit code - so real-world exploitation is at most targeted, not widespread. The vuln.today decision label 'this_week' aligns with treating this as a prompt-but-scheduled patch rather than an emergency. No SSVC exploitation/automatable/technical-impact decision values were supplied, so that framework cannot be independently applied here. The low-privilege rating (PR:L) is plausible but context-dependent: managing veth channels and XDP programs normally requires CAP_NET_ADMIN, which an unprivileged user can obtain only inside a user namespace - verify your namespace policy, because on hosts without unprivileged user namespaces this effectively requires higher privilege. Net: a real priority to schedule this week, especially on container/XDP hosts, but not a drop-everything emergency. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local user with the ability to manage a veth device's channels and XDP programs (CAP_NET_ADMIN, potentially via an unprivileged user namespace in a container) shrinks the veth RX channels so XDP resources for the removed queues are torn down without clearing rq->xdp_prog, then detaches or replaces the XDP program so the old program is freed via bpf_prog_put(). Increasing the channel count again re-enables NAPI and causes the kernel to run the freed program, producing a page fault and kernel panic (as shown) or potentially controlled use-after-free. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; the available PoC/exploit status is not confirmed. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 24, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel veth driver can leave stale XDP program pointers on removed RX queues, so a later channel increase may run a freed BPF program and crash or corrupt kernel memory. The flaw is locally reachable (CVSS 7.8, AV:L/PR:L) by an authenticated attacker able to resize veth channels and attach or detach XDP programs, typically requiring CAP_NET_ADMIN unless unprivileged user namespaces grant it. No public exploit was identified at time of analysis, EPSS is low at 0.16% (5th percentile), and vendor patches are available.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patches are available; upgrade to a kernel containing the veth XDP fix, specifically 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9, or 7.3-rc5, or install the equivalent distribution kernel backport. The stable fix commits are listed at https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7a8e143109ff2736dc79e41dcd55af7ceab7520a and the other git.kernel.org/stable/c/ references above, with advisories at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98381 and https://vuldb.com/vuln/415749. If patching is delayed, restrict creation and management of veth devices and XDP attachment to trusted administrators holding CAP_NET_ADMIN, and disable unprivileged user namespaces where feasible; this breaks rootless containers and some sandboxes, so apply it selectively to sensitive hosts. Avoid resizing channels on veth interfaces that have XDP programs attached until the fix is deployed, accepting reduced queue-tuning flexibility as the trade-off.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The veth driver provides virtual Ethernet pairs and supports XDP/BPF programs on receive queues, with each RX queue tracking its program in rq->xdp_prog. During a channel shrink, veth_set_channels() tears down XDP resources for removed RX queues but does not clear rq->xdp_prog; if the XDP program is then detached or replaced, bpf_prog_put() frees it while those queues retain the old pointer. A later channel increase re-enables NAPI for the queues, and the veth_poll -> veth_xdp_rcv -> veth_xdp_rcv_skb path dereferences the stale pointer, matching the supplied KASAN page-fault and kernel-panic trace. No CWE is assigned in the provided data, but the defect is a lifetime/stale-pointer error in the veth XDP channel-resize path; CPE entries identify the generic linux:linux kernel, and public tagging lists Information Disclosure/Linux even though the trace shows a memory-safety failure.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local-only vector; the described teardown/detach/re-enable sequence is deterministic (AC:L); requires CAP_NET_ADMIN-level veth/XDP control (PR:L), and the freed-program use-after-free threatens confidentiality, integrity and availability.
Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).
CVSS VectorVendor: Linux
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
veth: manage XDP program pointers during channel resize
veth_set_channels() tears down XDP resources for removed RX queues without clearing rq->xdp_prog. If the program is then detached or replaced, those queues keep the old pointer after bpf_prog_put(). A later channel increase can re-enable NAPI and run the freed program.
BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffc90000256048 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI RIP: veth_xdp_rcv_skb (include/linux/filter.h:779 include/net/xdp.h:696 drivers/net/veth.c:820) Call Trace: veth_xdp_rcv (drivers/net/veth.c:941) veth_poll (drivers/net/veth.c:986) __napi_poll (net/core/dev.c:7787) net_rx_action (net/core/dev.c:7850 net/core/dev.c:8007) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:645) Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity use-after-free flaw in the Linux kernel's veth driver could allow an authenticated local attacker with network administration privileges to crash or corrupt kernel memory, potentially disrupting containerized and virtualized environments. While no public exploit exists and the EPSS score is low, any compromise of a privileged local account could lead to denial-of-service or data integrity issues. Leadership should prioritize patching to maintain the resilience of container orchestration and network function virtualization platforms.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
EUVD-2026-95536
GHSA-82qv-gm43-p9vj
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
Exploit-DB