Bug 2521384 (CVE-2026-74588)

Summary: CVE-2026-74588 kernel: sctp: keep chunk->transport in step with the list it is queued on
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
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Priority: high    
Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
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Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) implementation. This use-after-free vulnerability occurs when the system improperly handles chunk transport pointers during the retransmission process. A remote attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted Selective Acknowledgment (SACK) packets, which can lead to a dangling pointer dereference. The most significant consequence is a system crash, resulting in a denial of service (DoS). In some scenarios, this could potentially lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-08-22 15:42:53 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

sctp: keep chunk->transport in step with the list it is queued on

__sctp_outq_flush_rtx() moves a gap-acked chunk onto another transport's
transmitted list without updating chunk->transport:

	if (chunk->tsn_gap_acked) {
		list_move_tail(&chunk->transmitted_list,
			       &transport->transmitted);
		continue;
	}

The chunk then sits on a live transport's list while chunk->transport still
names a different one.  If that transport is removed - sctp_assoc_rm_peer()
from an ASCONF Delete-IP - sctp_transport_free() RCU-frees it and the chunk
is left with a dangling pointer.  sctp_assoc_rm_peer() scrubs
peer->transmitted and asoc->outqueue.out_chunk_list, but the chunk is on
neither.

The pointer is not followed while tsn_gap_acked is set.  A SACK that
reneges on the TSN clears the flag, and the next SACK reaches

	tchunk->transport->flight_size -= sctp_data_size(tchunk);

inside the freed transport.  KASAN reports a slab-use-after-free read in
sctp_check_transmitted(), freed from sctp_assoc_rm_peer().  Both the
removal and the SACKs come from the association peer.

Set chunk->transport at the move.  The ordinary resend path needs nothing:
it reaches its list_move_tail() only after sctp_packet_append_chunk()
returned SCTP_XMIT_OK, and __sctp_packet_append_chunk() has rebound the
chunk by then.

Discovered by XBOW, triaged by Baul Lee <baul.lee>