In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
netfilter: nf_tables: don't queue packet path object notifications
All file:line references below are against v7.2-rc4 (ac5b0e5651b1). The
trace was captured on 7.2.0-rc6-kasan72rc6 (075b74841bd0), where the same
lines apply.
nft_obj_notify() is exported and reached from the packet path. Its only
in-tree caller is nft_quota_obj_eval() (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68),
which notifies with GFP_ATOMIC while evaluating a rule for a transiting
packet, holding no mutex.
Since commit 67cc570edaa0 ("netfilter: nf_tables: coalesce multiple
notifications into one skbuff") that notification is no longer sent
immediately. __nft_obj_notify() queues it onto nft_net->notify_list via
nft_notify_enqueue() (net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:1211), which is a bare
list_add_tail(). notify_list has no lock of its own
(include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h:1951), it is serialised by commit_mutex:
the six other enqueue sites all run inside a netlink transaction, and the
drain in nft_commit_notify() (net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:10746) does
list_del() + kfree_skb() from nf_tables_commit() with commit_mutex held.
Sending packets through a chain that references a depleted quota object
therefore races an unlocked list_add_tail() against list_del() +
kfree_skb() on another CPU. The WRITE_ONCE(prev->next, new) in __list_add()
then stores through an sk_buff that has already been freed:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __nft_obj_notify+0x2c5/0x2d0
Write of size 8 at addr ff110001047183c0 by task poc/76
CPU: 0 UID: 1000 PID: 76 Comm: poc Tainted: G W 7.2.0-rc6-kasan72rc6 #4
Call Trace:
<IRQ>
__nft_obj_notify (include/linux/list.h:164 include/linux/list.h:191
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:1211
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:8743)
nft_quota_obj_eval (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68)
nft_do_chain_inet
nf_hook_slow
__ip_local_out
ip_push_pending_frames
udp_send_skb
udp_sendmsg
__x64_sys_sendto
Allocated by task 77:
__alloc_skb (net/core/skbuff.c:704)
__nft_obj_notify (include/net/netlink.h:1055
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:8731)
nft_quota_obj_eval (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68)
nft_do_chain
Freed by task 79:
nf_tables_commit (include/linux/skbuff.h:1332
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:10759
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:11185)
nfnetlink_rcv_batch (net/netfilter/nfnetlink.c:574)
netlink_unicast
netlink_sendmsg
The buggy address belongs to the cache skbuff_head_cache of size 232
Queueing from the packet path is wrong even leaving the race aside:
notify_list is only drained by nft_commit_notify() from nf_tables_commit()
(:11185), so a notification enqueued outside a transaction is not sent
until some later netlink batch commits, if one ever does.
The gfp argument that nft_obj_notify() still takes is a leftover of the
pre-67cc570edaa0 behaviour, where this path called nfnetlink_send()
directly. Restore that: split the message construction out into
nft_obj_notify_alloc() and let each caller decide what to do with the skb.
nft_obj_notify(), the exported one reached from the packet path, sends it
straight away; nf_tables_obj_notify(), which runs under commit_mutex, keeps
queueing it, so transaction notifications are still coalesced.
netfilter: nf_tables: don't queue packet path object notifications
All file:line references below are against v7.2-rc4 (ac5b0e5651b1). The
trace was captured on 7.2.0-rc6-kasan72rc6 (075b74841bd0), where the same
lines apply.
nft_obj_notify() is exported and reached from the packet path. Its only
in-tree caller is nft_quota_obj_eval() (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68),
which notifies with GFP_ATOMIC while evaluating a rule for a transiting
packet, holding no mutex.
Since commit 67cc570edaa0 ("netfilter: nf_tables: coalesce multiple
notifications into one skbuff") that notification is no longer sent
immediately. __nft_obj_notify() queues it onto nft_net->notify_list via
nft_notify_enqueue() (net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:1211), which is a bare
list_add_tail(). notify_list has no lock of its own
(include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h:1951), it is serialised by commit_mutex:
the six other enqueue sites all run inside a netlink transaction, and the
drain in nft_commit_notify() (net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:10746) does
list_del() + kfree_skb() from nf_tables_commit() with commit_mutex held.
Sending packets through a chain that references a depleted quota object
therefore races an unlocked list_add_tail() against list_del() +
kfree_skb() on another CPU. The WRITE_ONCE(prev->next, new) in __list_add()
then stores through an sk_buff that has already been freed:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __nft_obj_notify+0x2c5/0x2d0
Write of size 8 at addr ff110001047183c0 by task poc/76
CPU: 0 UID: 1000 PID: 76 Comm: poc Tainted: G W 7.2.0-rc6-kasan72rc6 #4
Call Trace:
<IRQ>
__nft_obj_notify (include/linux/list.h:164 include/linux/list.h:191
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:1211
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:8743)
nft_quota_obj_eval (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68)
nft_do_chain_inet
nf_hook_slow
__ip_local_out
ip_push_pending_frames
udp_send_skb
udp_sendmsg
__x64_sys_sendto
Allocated by task 77:
__alloc_skb (net/core/skbuff.c:704)
__nft_obj_notify (include/net/netlink.h:1055
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:8731)
nft_quota_obj_eval (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68)
nft_do_chain
Freed by task 79:
nf_tables_commit (include/linux/skbuff.h:1332
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:10759
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:11185)
nfnetlink_rcv_batch (net/netfilter/nfnetlink.c:574)
netlink_unicast
netlink_sendmsg
The buggy address belongs to the cache skbuff_head_cache of size 232
Queueing from the packet path is wrong even leaving the race aside:
notify_list is only drained by nft_commit_notify() from nf_tables_commit()
(:11185), so a notification enqueued outside a transaction is not sent
until some later netlink batch commits, if one ever does.
The gfp argument that nft_obj_notify() still takes is a leftover of the
pre-67cc570edaa0 behaviour, where this path called nfnetlink_send()
directly. Restore that: split the message construction out into
nft_obj_notify_alloc() and let each caller decide what to do with the skb.
nft_obj_notify(), the exported one reached from the packet path, sends it
straight away; nf_tables_obj_notify(), which runs under commit_mutex, keeps
queueing it, so transaction notifications are still coalesced.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
No data.
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment is a feature of OpenCVE that uses AI to automatically link vendors and products to CVEs. Learn more on GitHub.
No data.
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_tables: don't queue packet path object notifications All file:line references below are against v7.2-rc4 (ac5b0e5651b1). The trace was captured on 7.2.0-rc6-kasan72rc6 (075b74841bd0), where the same lines apply. nft_obj_notify() is exported and reached from the packet path. Its only in-tree caller is nft_quota_obj_eval() (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68), which notifies with GFP_ATOMIC while evaluating a rule for a transiting packet, holding no mutex. Since commit 67cc570edaa0 ("netfilter: nf_tables: coalesce multiple notifications into one skbuff") that notification is no longer sent immediately. __nft_obj_notify() queues it onto nft_net->notify_list via nft_notify_enqueue() (net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:1211), which is a bare list_add_tail(). notify_list has no lock of its own (include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h:1951), it is serialised by commit_mutex: the six other enqueue sites all run inside a netlink transaction, and the drain in nft_commit_notify() (net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:10746) does list_del() + kfree_skb() from nf_tables_commit() with commit_mutex held. Sending packets through a chain that references a depleted quota object therefore races an unlocked list_add_tail() against list_del() + kfree_skb() on another CPU. The WRITE_ONCE(prev->next, new) in __list_add() then stores through an sk_buff that has already been freed: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __nft_obj_notify+0x2c5/0x2d0 Write of size 8 at addr ff110001047183c0 by task poc/76 CPU: 0 UID: 1000 PID: 76 Comm: poc Tainted: G W 7.2.0-rc6-kasan72rc6 #4 Call Trace: <IRQ> __nft_obj_notify (include/linux/list.h:164 include/linux/list.h:191 net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:1211 net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:8743) nft_quota_obj_eval (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68) nft_do_chain_inet nf_hook_slow __ip_local_out ip_push_pending_frames udp_send_skb udp_sendmsg __x64_sys_sendto Allocated by task 77: __alloc_skb (net/core/skbuff.c:704) __nft_obj_notify (include/net/netlink.h:1055 net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:8731) nft_quota_obj_eval (net/netfilter/nft_quota.c:68) nft_do_chain Freed by task 79: nf_tables_commit (include/linux/skbuff.h:1332 net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:10759 net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c:11185) nfnetlink_rcv_batch (net/netfilter/nfnetlink.c:574) netlink_unicast netlink_sendmsg The buggy address belongs to the cache skbuff_head_cache of size 232 Queueing from the packet path is wrong even leaving the race aside: notify_list is only drained by nft_commit_notify() from nf_tables_commit() (:11185), so a notification enqueued outside a transaction is not sent until some later netlink batch commits, if one ever does. The gfp argument that nft_obj_notify() still takes is a leftover of the pre-67cc570edaa0 behaviour, where this path called nfnetlink_send() directly. Restore that: split the message construction out into nft_obj_notify_alloc() and let each caller decide what to do with the skb. nft_obj_notify(), the exported one reached from the packet path, sends it straight away; nf_tables_obj_notify(), which runs under commit_mutex, keeps queueing it, so transaction notifications are still coalesced. | |
| Title | netfilter: nf_tables: don't queue packet path object notifications | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
|
Projects
Sign in to view the affected projects.
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-09-04T15:54:47.179Z
Reserved: 2026-08-26T14:34:25.796Z
Link: CVE-2026-80837
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-09-04T16:18:12.030
Modified: 2026-09-04T16:18:12.030
Link: CVE-2026-80837
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-09-04T19:00:14Z
Weaknesses
No weakness.