CVE-2026-97523 PUBLISHED

mptcp: close race between scheduler and state change

Assigner: Linux
Reserved: 24.09.2026 Published: 25.09.2026 Updated: 25.09.2026

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

mptcp: close race between scheduler and state change

The mptcp scheduler may race with subflow sockets state change: data transmission on the selected socket may fail and a later release could try to use mss_now reset to 0 for a divide operation.

Address the issue by explicitly checking for the critical scenario.

Metrics

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS Score: 7.5

AV:N - mptcp_push_release is reached from __mptcp_push_pending after mptcp_sched_get_send. A remote MPTCP peer changes the selected subflow's sk_state via TCP RST/FIN (tcp_v4_rcv/tcp_rcv_established/tcp_reset) without the msk lock, and a DSS DATA_ACK (mptcp_incoming_options→ack_update_msk) sets MPTCP_PUSH_PENDING so mptcp_release_cb calls that push. AC:L - The attacker creates both halves of the race: they induce __mptcp_push_pending (DSS DATA_ACK, or eliciting mptcp_sendmsg) so mptcp_subflow_get_send snapshots __tcp_can_send without the ssk lock, then RST/FIN/MP_FAIL that subflow before lock_sock; the window is attacker-timed and retryable, not an uninfluencable layout. PR:N - Completing MP_CAPABLE to an IPPROTO_MPTCP listener needs no account or capability; net.mptcp.enabled defaults to 1 in mptcp pernet init, and tcp_rcv_established/mptcp_incoming_options apply no application credentials before the DATA_ACK and RST/FIN that cause this race. UI:N - The attacker sends the DATA_ACK and RST/FIN themselves and supplies the request that makes the service call mptcp_sendmsg; no victim mount, click, or extra confirmation is required. S:U - The divide-error runs in tcp_tso_autosize/tcp_set_skb_tso_segs on the host kernel MPTCP/TCP socket; it does not cross a VM, IOMMU, or sandbox boundary. C:N - When __tcp_can_send fails in mptcp_sendmsg_frag, info->mss_now stays 0 and tcp_push divides by zero; that CPU exception does not read freed objects or out-of-range kernel memory. I:N - tcp_write_xmit aborts on the divide in tcp_tso_autosize/tcp_set_skb_tso_segs before modifying TCP control blocks or packet contents; this is not an OOB/UAF write or control-flow hijack. A:H - bytes/mss_now in tcp_tso_autosize and DIV_ROUND_UP(skb->len, mss_now) in tcp_set_skb_tso_segs raise a kernel divide-error oops/panic from mptcp_push_release, and the attacker can repeat it across MPTCP connections.

Product Status

Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: unaffected
  • affected from c886d70286bf3ad411eb3d689328a67f7102c6ae to 8f11430d51ff8365bc51b670bc3002b65ae4c6b7 (excl.)
  • affected from c886d70286bf3ad411eb3d689328a67f7102c6ae to a09c87abf10a0a7e203137c75b5381aa63d9b31d (excl.)
  • affected from c886d70286bf3ad411eb3d689328a67f7102c6ae to 4c856f3c151a2f3fa237caa651c44015916ca584 (excl.)
  • affected from c886d70286bf3ad411eb3d689328a67f7102c6ae to 42064de57fb83231fcc89663a94885f228a1ee53 (excl.)
  • Version fb9c73ef2ac2ec816efdc8b9267bc04e1369c20b is affected
  • Version 8caf5c15b5288d52d9c89374d6c10fa32ee84ec5 is affected
  • affected from 5.15.190 to 5.16 (excl.)
  • affected from 5.19.4 to 5.20 (excl.)
Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: affected
  • Version 6.0 is affected
  • unaffected from 0 to 6.0 (excl.)
  • unaffected from 6.12.111 to 6.12.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.18.53 to 6.18.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.2.7 to 7.2.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.3-rc4 to * (incl.)

References