Bug 2541043 (CVE-2026-97611) - CVE-2026-97611 kernel: net: openvswitch: fix use-after-free of the flow table mask array
Summary: CVE-2026-97611 kernel: net: openvswitch: fix use-after-free of the flow table...
Keywords:
Status: NEW
Alias: CVE-2026-97611
Product: Security Response
Classification: Other
Component: vulnerability
Version: unspecified
Hardware: All
OS: Linux
medium
medium
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Product Security
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2026-09-25 10:44 UTC by OSIDB Bzimport
Modified: 2026-09-29 14:45 UTC (History)
17 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed:
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-09-25 10:44:52 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: openvswitch: fix use-after-free of the flow table mask array

tbl_mask_array_realloc() retires the old mask_array before it stops being
reachable:

	old = ovsl_dereference(tbl->mask_array);
	if (old) {
		...
		call_rcu(&old->rcu, mask_array_rcu_cb);
	}

	rcu_assign_pointer(tbl->mask_array, new);

call_rcu() only waits for read-side critical sections already in flight.
tbl->mask_array still points at old between the call_rcu() and the
rcu_assign_pointer(), so a reader entering ovs_flow_tbl_lookup_stats() in
that window picks up old in a fresh critical section that the pending
grace period does not cover.

tbl_mask_array_realloc() runs in process context under ovs_mutex, so the
window is preemptible and can outlast the grace period. Then
mask_array_rcu_cb() frees old before the swap runs:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in flow_lookup.constprop.0+0x2bf/0x2f0
  Read of size 8 at addr ffff888020b3e018 by task poc/741
   flow_lookup.constprop.0+0x2bf/0x2f0
   ovs_flow_tbl_lookup_stats+0x4a3/0x5c0
   ovs_dp_process_packet+0x19c/0x710
   ovs_vport_receive+0x243/0x390
   internal_dev_xmit+0x81/0x170
  Freed by task 728:
   kfree+0x16a/0x4e0
   rcu_core+0x853/0x1030

Publish the new array before retiring the old one. The kfree_rcu() that
call_rcu() replaced ran after the swap.


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