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Response snapshot Oct 26, 2026, 22:59 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-99053

Linux kernel: tipc: hold a reference to nodes found by link name

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tipc: hold a reference to nodes found by link name tipc_node_find_by_name() returns a node after dropping its RCU read lock without taking a reference.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.8 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
0.2% in the next 30 days
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2026-99053 (opens a new tab)

What happened

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

tipc: hold a reference to nodes found by link name

tipc_node_find_by_name() returns a node after dropping its RCU read lock without taking a reference. The LINK_SET, LINK_GET and LINK_RESET_STATS handlers then lock and access the node, racing with timer-driven cleanup of a down peer. Generic netlink serialization does not exclude the node timer.

The following interleaving can leave a handler using a freed node:

Continue reading

CPU 0: find the node under RCU and release the node read lock CPU 1: tipc_node_timeout() clears the links and unlinks the down node CPU 1: drop the list and timer references, queuing tipc_node_free() CPU 0: leave the RCU read-side critical section CPU 1: complete the grace period and free the node CPU 0: acquire the node lock through the stale pointer

LINK_SET also uses the node's media address after releasing the node lock, when passing queued packets to tipc_bearer_xmit().

KASAN on v7.3-rc5 reported:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in _raw_read_lock_bh Write of size 4 at addr ffff88807e06f008 by task poc/92 Call Trace: _raw_read_lock_bh kernel/locking/spinlock.c:287 tipc_nl_node_set_link net/tipc/node.c:2475 genl_family_rcv_msg_doit net/netlink/genetlink.c:1114 genl_rcv_msg net/netlink/genetlink.c:1209 netlink_rcv_skb net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2575

Allocated by task 0: tipc_node_create net/tipc/node.c:539 tipc_node_check_dest net/tipc/node.c:1196 tipc_disc_rcv net/tipc/discover.c:252

Freed by task 92: kfree mm/slub.c:6801 rcu_core kernel/rcu/tree.c:2919

Last potentially related work creation: __call_rcu_common.constprop.0 kernel/rcu/tree.c:3181 tipc_node_timeout net/tipc/node.c:814

Acquire a reference to the selected node with kref_get_unless_zero() before leaving RCU, returning NULL if the node has already been released. Release that reference on every caller exit after the last node access, including transmission in LINK_SET. Keep the existing link lookup order and locking so concurrent link removal still takes the existing error paths.

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

0.2%

Scored Percentile 6.4%

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-2026-99053 (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

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-99053, scored 2026-10-26. 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 24). Linux kernel: tipc: hold a reference to nodes found by link name (CVE-2026-99053). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-99053

MLA

"Linux kernel: tipc: hold a reference to nodes found by link name (CVE-2026-99053)." KEVWire, 24 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-99053.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: tipc: hold a reference to nodes found by link name (CVE-2026-99053)." Last modified October 24, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-99053.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: tipc: hold a reference to nodes found by link name (Oct 23, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

tipc: hold a reference to nodes found by link name

tipc_node_find_by_name() returns a node after dropping its RCU read lock
without taking a reference.  The LINK_SET, LINK_GET and LINK_RESET_STATS
handlers then lock and access the node, racing with timer-driven cleanup of
a down peer.  Generic netlink serialization does not exclude the node
timer.

The following interleaving can leave a handler using a freed node:

  CPU 0: find the node under RCU and release the node read lock
  CPU 1: tipc_node_timeout() clears the links and unlinks the down node
  CPU 1: drop the list and timer references, queuing tipc_node_free()
  CPU 0: leave the RCU read-side critical section
  CPU 1: complete the grace period and free the node
  CPU 0: acquire the node lock through the stale pointer

LINK_SET also uses the node's media address after releasing the node lock,
when passing queued packets to tipc_bearer_xmit().

KASAN on v7.3-rc5 reported:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in _raw_read_lock_bh
  Write of size 4 at addr ffff88807e06f008 by task poc/92
  Call Trace:
   _raw_read_lock_bh                 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:287
   tipc_nl_node_set_link             net/tipc/node.c:2475
   genl_family_rcv_msg_doit          net/netlink/genetlink.c:1114
   genl_rcv_msg                      net/netlink/genetlink.c:1209
   netlink_rcv_skb                   net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2575

  Allocated by task 0:
   tipc_node_create                  net/tipc/node.c:539
   tipc_node_check_dest              net/tipc/node.c:1196
   tipc_disc_rcv                     net/tipc/discover.c:252

  Freed by task 92:
   kfree                             mm/slub.c:6801
   rcu_core                          kernel/rcu/tree.c:2919

  Last potentially related work creation:
   __call_rcu_common.constprop.0     kernel/rcu/tree.c:3181
   tipc_node_timeout                 net/tipc/node.c:814

Acquire a reference to the selected node with kref_get_unless_zero() before
leaving RCU, returning NULL if the node has already been released.  Release
that reference on every caller exit after the last node access, including
transmission in L
CVSS 7.8 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 24, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99053).
EPSS 0.2% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-99053&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-99053: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99053
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?pubStartDate=2026-10-12T13:35:55.142Z&pubEndDate=2026-10-26T13:35:55.142Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=9000
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-99053&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-99053.
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 26, 2026, 19:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Received. 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.

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