KEVWire

Security intelligence, with context.

Response snapshot Oct 30, 2026, 17:36 UTC

Back to the wire
Permalink
VulnerabilityCVE-2026-43091

Linux kernel: xfrm: Wait for RCU readers during policy netns exit

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: Wait for RCU readers during policy netns exit xfrm_policy_fini() frees the policy_bydst hash tables after flushing the policy work items and deleting all policies, but it does not wait for concurrent RCU readers to leave their read-side critical sections first.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.8 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
0.1% in the next 30 days
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2026-43091 (opens a new tab)

What happened

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

xfrm: Wait for RCU readers during policy netns exit

xfrm_policy_fini() frees the policy_bydst hash tables after flushing the policy work items and deleting all policies, but it does not wait for concurrent RCU readers to leave their read-side critical sections first.

The policy_bydst tables are published via rcu_assign_pointer() and are looked up through rcu_dereference_check(), so netns teardown must also wait for an RCU grace period before freeing the table memory.

Continue reading

Fix this by adding synchronize_rcu() before freeing the policy hash tables.

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

7.8

Version 3.1As of

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

0.1%

Scored Percentile 2.5%

Model and measurement source (opens a new tab)

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-43091 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  4. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  5. Primary source

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-43091, scored 2026-10-30. This is a model estimate, not proof of exposure.

    Published Checked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 30). Linux kernel: xfrm: Wait for RCU readers during policy netns exit (CVE-2026-43091). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-43091

MLA

"Linux kernel: xfrm: Wait for RCU readers during policy netns exit (CVE-2026-43091)." KEVWire, 30 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-43091.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: xfrm: Wait for RCU readers during policy netns exit (CVE-2026-43091)." Last modified October 30, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-43091.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: xfrm: Wait for RCU readers during policy netns exit (May 6, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

xfrm: Wait for RCU readers during policy netns exit

xfrm_policy_fini() frees the policy_bydst hash tables after flushing the
policy work items and deleting all policies, but it does not wait for
concurrent RCU readers to leave their read-side critical sections first.

The policy_bydst tables are published via rcu_assign_pointer() and are
looked up through rcu_dereference_check(), so netns teardown must also
wait for an RCU grace period before freeing the table memory.
CVSS 7.8 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 30, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43091).
EPSS 0.1% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 30, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-43091&date=2026-10-30).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-43091: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43091
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-10-30T13:06:45.042Z&lastModEndDate=2026-10-30T14:50:57.069Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-10-30T12:22:16.957Z&lastModEndDate=2026-10-30T14:05:57.373Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?lastModStartDate=2026-10-30T11:45:59.009Z&lastModEndDate=2026-10-30T13:20:57.281Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=0
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-43091&date=2026-10-30
Record ID: CVE-2026-43091.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 30, 2026, 14:52 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Modified. Publication in the NVD is not evidence of exploitation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

Record JSON

Your account

Email alerts

Email alerts are coming as part of KEVWire Premium: join the waitlist. To follow your stack today, use its RSS feed, which honors your filters, or connect an AI agent through the API.

Suggest an improvement

Ideas, missing sources, corrections, and bugs are all welcome. No account needed. Suggestions are reviewed by a person before anything changes.

Record details

Record detail