Bug 2513289 (CVE-2026-68337)

Summary: CVE-2026-68337 kernel: Linux kernel: Denial of Service in BPF redirect helpers
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security <prodsec-ir-bot>
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Priority: low    
Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
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Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. The BPF (Berkeley Packet Filter) redirect helpers, specifically `bpf_redirect*()` and `skb_do_redirect()`, can attempt to dereference a null pointer if a `bpf_net_context` is not established. This can occur when certain BPF programs are attached to a network queueing discipline (qdisc). A local attacker could exploit this to trigger a null pointer dereference, leading to a system crash and a Denial of Service (DoS).
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-08-10 12:29:08 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

bpf: Reject redirect helpers without a bpf_net_context

The bpf_redirect*() helpers and skb_do_redirect() obtain the per-task
bpf_redirect_info via bpf_net_ctx_get_ri(), which dereferences the
current->bpf_net_context unconditionally. That context is established
on the paths that run tc BPF such as sch_handle_{ingress,egress}(),
*except* for the case where {cls,act}_bpf was attached to a proper
qdisc. A program running from there reaches the NULL deref in two ways:

* It calls bpf_redirect() directly, which dereferences the context at
  the top of the helper:

     tc qdisc add dev eth0 root handle 1: red limit 1MB min 10KB max 20KB \
        avpkt 1000 burst 100 qevent early_drop block 10
     tc filter add block 10 pref 1 bpf obj redirect.o

* It simply returns TC_ACT_REDIRECT without helper call: tcf_qevent_handle()
  then dispatches to skb_do_redirect(), which dereferences the context

Rather than extending bpf_net_context management into the qdisc path,
make the redirect helpers refuse to operate when no context exists, and
have tcf_qevent_handle() drop a TC_ACT_REDIRECT verdict instead of
calling skb_do_redirect(). Previous behaviour was a crash, so nothing
regresses by not supporting it.