Bug 2521495 (CVE-2026-74660)

Summary: CVE-2026-74660 kernel: netfilter: ebt_nflog: pin the NFLOG backend
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedCC: rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's `netfilter: ebt_nflog` component. This vulnerability occurs because the `ebt_nflog` module does not properly manage references to the `nfnetlink_log` module. An attacker with the ability to configure `ebtables` rules could exploit this by causing an `ebtables nflog` rule to remain active while the `nfnetlink_log` module is unloaded. This improper handling leads to a use-after-free error, which can result in a system crash, causing a Denial of Service (DoS).
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-08-22 15:48:20 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

netfilter: ebt_nflog: pin the NFLOG backend

nf_log_unregister() runs after the per-net teardown so its final RCU
grace period also drains readers that obtained the logger from a per-net
binding.  However, ebt_nflog passes an explicit ULOG log type to
nf_log_packet() without holding a reference on the selected logger module,
unlike the xt_NFLOG and nft_log frontends.

An ebtables nflog rule can therefore remain callable while nfnetlink_log
is unloaded.  The resulting interleaving is:

  CPU 0                               CPU 1
  nfnetlink_log_fini()
    unregister_pernet_subsys()
      kfree(nfnl_log_pernet(net))
                                      ebt_nflog_tg()
                                        nf_log_packet()
                                          nfulnl_log_packet()
                                            instance_lookup_get_rcu()

The global ULOG logger is still registered at this point, so CPU 1
dereferences the per-net state after CPU 0 has freed it.  KASAN reported:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in instance_lookup_get_rcu
  Read of size 8 at addr ff110001052e6210 by task poc/92
  Call Trace:
   instance_lookup_get_rcu+0x1ce/0x1f0 [nfnetlink_log]
   nfulnl_log_packet+0x248/0x2fb0 [nfnetlink_log]
   nf_log_packet+0x204/0x300
   ebt_nflog_tg+0x351/0x550
   ebt_do_table+0xedf/0x22b0
  Allocated by task 90:
   __kmalloc_noprof+0x186/0x470
   ops_init+0x6d/0x420
   register_pernet_operations+0x2f6/0x670
   register_pernet_subsys+0x23/0x40
  Freed by task 93:
   kfree+0x131/0x3c0
   ops_undo_list+0x3e3/0x700
   unregister_pernet_operations+0x232/0x490
   unregister_pernet_subsys+0x1c/0x30
   nfnetlink_log_fini+0x34/0x450 [nfnetlink_log]

Acquire the ULOG logger module reference when an ebt_nflog rule is
validated and release it when the rule is destroyed.  Request the NFLOG
backend for legacy callers when needed, matching xt_NFLOG.  This prevents
module teardown until all ebt_nflog rules have stopped using the logger.