Critical severity · published Oct 18, 2026
CVE-2026-98490
net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc
9.8
CVSS
0.6%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc
While calling the helpers, a raw pointer to the extensions area is
wired into expectations list:
-> nf_ct_helper()
-> helper->help()
-> nf_ct_expect_related_report()
-> nf_ct_expect_insert()
-> hlist_add_head_rcu(&exp->lnode, &master_help->expectations)
In case the connection is not confirmed yet, more extensions can be
added afterwards with *_ext_add() calls reallocating the extension
space and leaving the now invalid pointer in the expectations list
that is later accessed while removing the expectation.
Make sure that helpers are called at the end after all the other
extensions are already added.
Note that the helper rejection now leaves the mark and labels set,
but that's not different from how the NAT was handled before or how
the mark and the labels were handled on confirmation failure. And
there are no atomicity guarantees provided by the API anyway.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.6% · higher than 49% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
LI
Linux · Linux
cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe before 18866dc1f525f9ee4de7709529d1ae1af8d8e8be; cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe before afcf362625190c5260530b1d6c7daa98831f6b83; cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe before 5f23080a625dd7855ab91485c8d691a54a1979f0; cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe before e02a83bb0b7a203f6a22f55ad5f426765560f811; cae3a2627520c3795b54533c5328b77af3405dbe before 1a4151e6be57b098b7a5ebfbde58585e83200cdc; 4.3 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98490
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98490
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18866dc1f525f9ee4de7709529d1ae1af8d8e8be
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1a4151e6be57b098b7a5ebfbde58585e83200cdc
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f23080a625dd7855ab91485c8d691a54a1979f0
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afcf362625190c5260530b1d6c7daa98831f6b83
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e02a83bb0b7a203f6a22f55ad5f426765560f811
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