CVE-2026-98586 PUBLISHED

sctp: hold asoc or transport before mod_timer() in timer handlers

Assigner: Linux
Reserved: 25.09.2026 Published: 18.10.2026 Updated: 18.10.2026

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

sctp: hold asoc or transport before mod_timer() in timer handlers

Take the association or transport reference before rearming a timer in the timer handlers.

The existing code calls mod_timer() before taking the reference needed by the rearmed timer without holding the sock lock. This creates a race with timer cleanup: if the timer is deleted after mod_timer() returns but before the reference is taken, the cleanup path can drop the timer's reference and destroy the transport or association. The timer handler then takes a reference on the already freed object and eventually drops it, causing a refcount underflow.

Hold the object before mod_timer() and drop the reference if mod_timer() reports that the timer was already pending in timer handlers. Apply the same ordering to the proto-unreachable path, which can rearm a transport timer outside the timer handlers without holding the sock lock.

Product Status

Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: unaffected
  • affected from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 to f7dea7eaea20fe9b80f8f77ba44d02b4a17f8050 (excl.)
  • affected from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 to f9d929026d487a988bfa12c065f892e823e5b6ab (excl.)
  • affected from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 to 9d3d39da054476e7aa05cd877b93ca73a9a77434 (excl.)
  • affected from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 to 27c51a9b55b227309161c903f9ecfbf022516bc2 (excl.)
  • affected from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 to d18cb8fd1b6ba95c85de644203cfe1b071ff0c0f (excl.)
  • affected from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 to 35bf3b23c9a871f44c1453d85f8332be4e088dda (excl.)
  • affected from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 to cae23ae3f7887a1cf8a75da38edcebeef695040f (excl.)
Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: affected
  • Version 2.6.12 is affected
  • unaffected from 0 to 2.6.12 (excl.)
  • unaffected from 5.15.222 to 5.15.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.1.189 to 6.1.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.6.158 to 6.6.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.12.112 to 6.12.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.18.55 to 6.18.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.2.9 to 7.2.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.3-rc5 to * (incl.)

References