Back to the CVE list
CVE-2026-22979

net: fix memory leak in skb_segment_list for GRO packets

CVSS score

5.5

EPSS probability

%0.1

Risk score

0.0

Published

8 mo ago

Official patch verified

Etkilenen ürün ve sürüm için yayımlanan güvenlik güncellemesini uygulayın.

Impact on My Inventory

Only the personal products you have added to your account are assessed; an organisation's inventory does not appear here.

Checking session…

Vulnerability description

DayBreach CVE AI Research

CVE-2026-22979 has vendor, distribution, patch and security-source records on file. We can compare them and prepare an explanation linked to the evidence.

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: fix memory leak in skb_segment_list for GRO packets When skb_segment_list() is called during packet forwarding, it handles packets that were aggregated by the GRO engine. Historically, the segmentation logic in skb_segment_list assumes that individual segments are split from a parent SKB and may need to carry their own socket memory accounting. Accordingly, the code transfers truesize from the parent to the newly created segments. Prior to commit ed4cccef64c1 ("gro: fix ownership transfer"), this truesize subtraction in skb_segment_list() was valid because fragments still carry a reference to the original socket. However, commit ed4cccef64c1 ("gro: fix ownership transfer") changed this behavior by ensuring that fraglist entries are explicitly orphaned (skb->sk = NULL) to prevent illegal orphaning later in the stack. This change meant that the entire socket memory charge remained with the head SKB, but the corresponding accounting logic in skb_segment_list() was never updated. As a result, the current code unconditionally adds each fragment's truesize to delta_truesize and subtracts it from the parent SKB. Since the fragments are no longer charged to the socket, this subtraction results in an effective under-count of memory when the head is freed. This causes sk_wmem_alloc to remain non-zero, preventing socket destruction and leading to a persistent memory leak. The leak can be observed via KMEMLEAK when tearing down the networking environment: unreferenced object 0xffff8881e6eb9100 (size 2048): comm "ping", pid 6720, jiffies 4295492526 backtrace: kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x5c6/0x800 sk_prot_alloc+0x5b/0x220 sk_alloc+0x35/0xa00 inet6_create.part.0+0x303/0x10d0 __sock_create+0x248/0x640 __sys_socket+0x11b/0x1d0 Since skb_segment_list() is exclusively used for SKB_GSO_FRAGLIST packets constructed by GRO, the truesize adjustment is removed. The call to skb_release_head_state() must be preserved. As documented in commit cf673ed0e057 ("net: fix fraglist segmentation reference count leak"), it is still required to correctly drop references to SKB extensions that may be overwritten during __copy_skb_header().

IMPACT: Affected Products and Software

Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-22979 vulnerability. Where our threat engine knows the exact affected versions, they are listed below.

IDVENDORPRODUCTACTION
1linuxLinux View
2linuxLinux View
3linuxlinux kernel View
4linuxlinux kernel View
5linuxlinux kernel View
6linuxlinux kernel View
7linuxlinux kernel View
8linuxlinux kernel View
9linuxlinux kernel View
10linuxlinux kernel View
Total affected vendors: 1|Products: 10

RED HAT CSAF/VEX: Product Impact Check

Red Hat has not yet published a CSAF/VEX impact record for this CVE. This does not mean “not affected”.

SCORING: CVSS from Multiple Sources

CVSS Scores

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardised framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and display CVSS scores from several sources for each CVE.

SCOREVERSIONSEVERITYVECTORSOURCE
5.5CVSS V31MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HNVD
5.5CVSS 3.x—CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HMicrosoft MSRC

Patch and Remediation Guide

Solution & Remediation Advisory

Patch verified

6 doğrulanmış yama veya düzeltilmiş sürüm kanıtı bulundu.

nvd

NVD tarafından Patch olarak etiketlenmiş referans

Open source
nvd

NVD tarafından Patch olarak etiketlenmiş referans

Open source
nvd

NVD tarafından Patch olarak etiketlenmiş referans

Open source
nvd

NVD tarafından Patch olarak etiketlenmiş referans

Open source
nvd

NVD tarafından Patch olarak etiketlenmiş referans

Open source
reference

Yama veya çözüm referansı

Open source
Confirm the affected product and version against the source evidence above.
Restrict access to internet-facing services and apply network segmentation.
Apply the official update named in the evidence only to the matching product and version.
Monitor server logs and network endpoints for signs of anomalous execution.

Public exploit and active exploitation status

Verified exploit intelligence

No verified public PoC, exploit repository or Metasploit module has been found for this CVE yet.

Weakness Classification and Attack Patterns (CWE & CAPEC)

CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorises the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-22979 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-22979 weaknesses.

Attack Vector and Accessibility

ExposureYerel erişim
PermissionsLow
UserGerekmiyor

Official Sources and Advisories

CVSS Vector Radar Chart

5.5 / 10
Attack VectorLocalComplexityLowPrivilegesLowUser Interact.NoneConfidentialityLowIntegrityNoneAvailabilityHigh

Vulnerability Scoring Details

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow privileges
User InteractionNone required
Confidentiality (Gizlilik)Low
Integrity (Bütünlük)None
Availability (Erişilebilirlik)High

Yama doğrulandı

6 doğrulanmış yama veya düzeltilmiş sürüm kanıtı bulundu.

Follow the vendor

L
linux logo
linux

Weakness Type (CWE & CAPEC)

Similar Vulnerabilities

Get this vulnerability through the API

Affected products, version ranges, exploitation status and patch information in a single request, with a free key.

curl -H "x-api-key: $DAYBREACH_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.daybreach.dev/api/v1/intel/cves/CVE-2026-22979"