Bug 2492390 (CVE-2026-53009)

Summary:	CVE-2026-53009 kernel: ice: fix double-free of tx_buf skb
Product:	[Other] Security Response	Reporter:	OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component:	vulnerability	Assignee:	Product Security <prodsec-ir-bot>
Status:	NEW ---	QA Contact:
Severity:	medium	Docs Contact:
Priority:	medium
Version:	unspecified	CC:	rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone:	---	Keywords:	Security
Target Release:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version:		Doc Type:	---
Doc Text:	A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's ice network driver. An error in the driver's handling of network packet transmission, specifically when ice_tso() or ice_tx_csum() functions fail, can lead to a double-free of a network buffer (skb). This occurs because a transmit buffer (tx_buf) may still point to an already freed buffer. If the network interface is subsequently brought down, this double-free can be triggered, potentially leading to a system crash or denial of service (DoS).	Story Points:	---
Clone Of:		Environment:
Last Closed:		Type:	---
Regression:	---	Mount Type:	---
Documentation:	---	CRM:
Verified Versions:		Category:	---
oVirt Team:	---	RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team:	---	Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-06-24 18:09:28 UTC

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

ice: fix double-free of tx_buf skb

If ice_tso() or ice_tx_csum() fail, the error path in
ice_xmit_frame_ring() frees the skb, but the 'first' tx_buf still points
to it and is marked as valid (ICE_TX_BUF_SKB).
'next_to_use' remains unchanged, so the potential problem will
likely fix itself when the next packet is transmitted and the tx_buf
gets overwritten. But if there is no next packet and the interface is
brought down instead, ice_clean_tx_ring() -> ice_unmap_and_free_tx_buf()
will find the tx_buf and free the skb for the second time.

The fix is to reset the tx_buf type to ICE_TX_BUF_EMPTY in the error
path, so that ice_unmap_and_free_tx_buf().
Move the initialization of 'first' up, to ensure it's already valid in
case we hit the linearization error path.

The bug was spotted by AI while I had it looking for something else.
It also proposed an initial version of the patch.

I reproduced the bug and tested the fix by adding code to inject
failures, on a build with KASAN.

I looked for similar bugs in related Intel drivers and did not find any.

Comment 1 Keith Grant 2026-06-25 20:01:39 UTC

Upstream advisory:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2026062449-CVE-2026-53009-4fef@gregkh/T