CVE-2026-98596
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ipv6: Fix dst leak for uncached routes.
ip6_route_output_flags(), ip6_rt_put_flags(), and ip6_dst_check() detect an uncached route by list_empty(&rt->dst.rt_uncached), which replaced the static DST_NOCACHE flag check in commit a4c2fd7f7891 ("net: remove DST_NOCACHE flag").
When a device is unregistered, rt6_uncached_list_flush_dev() unlinks uncached routes tied to the device from rt6_uncached_list.
Previously, they were moved to another list with list_move() (__list_del_entry() + list_add()), and since commit 98aa546af5e4 ("inet: remove (struct uncached_list)->quarantine"), the routes are just unlinked with list_del_init().
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If list_del_init() runs concurrently, list_empty() evaluates to true; ip6_route_output_flags() calls dst_hold_safe() incorrectly and ip6_rt_put_flags() skips ip6_rt_put(), leaking dst, and thus dev tied via rt->from as well.
The same race is partially fixed by commit 9a6f0c4d5796 ("dst: fix races in rt6_uncached_list_del() and rt_del_uncached_list()").
Let's check rt6->dst.rt_uncached_list instead.
Note that IPv4 does not have the same issue.
CVSS
NVD hasn't assigned a CVSS score to this CVE (common since the April 2026 policy change).
Exploitation probability (EPSS)
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
- 0.20 %
- Percentile among all scored CVEs
- 9
- Score date
- 10/20/2026
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
Affected technologies (1)
⚠ AI-inferred from the description — NVD hasn't analyzed this CVE yet, these aren't verified CPEs.
References
Show 4 references
Raw JSON (NVD)
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{
"id": "CVE-2026-98596",
"cveTags": [],
"metrics": {},
"affected": [
{
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"affectedData": [
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "98aa546af5e4f180439c82da403cc77926d3953b",
"lessThan": "5045aa25f3790dcdb158a58ac60ccf8da42959aa",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "98aa546af5e4f180439c82da403cc77926d3953b",
"lessThan": "ed902d5546fb9c142b3216d8eec914fa1bc0aa80",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "98aa546af5e4f180439c82da403cc77926d3953b",
"lessThan": "f9722746df13a8a29103c847ef56b02c11ce0963",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "98aa546af5e4f180439c82da403cc77926d3953b",
"lessThan": "be31fe6333f534155e6b408f1ef6d77974bb41aa",
"versionType": "git"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"include/net/ip6_route.h",
"net/ipv6/route.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected"
},
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "6.11"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"lessThan": "6.11",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.12.112",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.18.55",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.2.9",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.3",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
"lessThanOrEqual": "*"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"include/net/ip6_route.h",
"net/ipv6/route.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "affected"
}
]
}
],
"published": "2026-10-18T16:17:12.283",
"references": [
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5045aa25f3790dcdb158a58ac60ccf8da42959aa",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/be31fe6333f534155e6b408f1ef6d77974bb41aa",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed902d5546fb9c142b3216d8eec914fa1bc0aa80",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f9722746df13a8a29103c847ef56b02c11ce0963",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}
],
"vulnStatus": "Received",
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nipv6: Fix dst leak for uncached routes.\n\nip6_route_output_flags(), ip6_rt_put_flags(), and ip6_dst_check()\ndetect an uncached route by list_empty(&rt->dst.rt_uncached),\nwhich replaced the static DST_NOCACHE flag check in commit\na4c2fd7f7891 (\"net: remove DST_NOCACHE flag\").\n\nWhen a device is unregistered, rt6_uncached_list_flush_dev()\nunlinks uncached routes tied to the device from rt6_uncached_list.\n\nPreviously, they were moved to another list with list_move()\n(__list_del_entry() + list_add()), and since commit 98aa546af5e4\n(\"inet: remove (struct uncached_list)->quarantine\"), the routes\nare just unlinked with list_del_init().\n\nIf list_del_init() runs concurrently, list_empty() evaluates to\ntrue; ip6_route_output_flags() calls dst_hold_safe() incorrectly\nand ip6_rt_put_flags() skips ip6_rt_put(), leaking dst, and thus\ndev tied via rt->from as well.\n\nThe same race is partially fixed by commit 9a6f0c4d5796 (\"dst:\nfix races in rt6_uncached_list_del() and rt_del_uncached_list()\").\n\nLet's check rt6->dst.rt_uncached_list instead.\n\nNote that IPv4 does not have the same issue."
}
],
"lastModified": "2026-10-19T10:19:20.913",
"sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}