CVE-2026-74630 (CVSS 7.8)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: prevent in6_dev_get() from resurrecting inet6_dev in6_dev_get() reads dev->ip6_ptr under RCU and then unconditionally increments its refcount. Device teardown can clear the pointer and drop the last reference between these operations. The increment then resurrects an object whose RCU free has already been queued, so callers can use it after it is freed. Use refcount_inc_not_zero() and return NULL when the object has already reached zero. RCU keeps the memory accessible through the attempted reference acquisition, and a successful increment pins the object for the caller. An independent run on the exact unpatched 6f5156d7a31a (v7.2-rc3) kernel reproduced the invalid reference acquisition as UID 1000: refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free. ip6_mc_source+0xef4/0x17e0 It was followed by the corresponding reference underflow in ip6_mc_source(). The supplied trace from the same unpatched revision additionally shows the access after the RCU read-side section ends: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mutex_lock+0x76/0xe0 Write of size 8 at addr ffff888015b50240 by task poc/1219 Bug found and triaged by OpenAI Security Research and validated by Trail of Bits.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2026-74630?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

CVSS v3.1 Score

7.8

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0013

Probability of exploitation

0.03%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

References

Other References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0e243671bc7b8eaf00f83dd2f4367436dc0cff98 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/145812b678de9f3b59780173be3c0d22ed60dd93 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14e812ab41df0cac033479da835ec9a5de633404 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c206d461c680c3151daa3c89fc26eaf5bf98a7f https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/680fbd7942185448eadb990a3d10a53eb946b702 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/785d908f8d21c8bc78b6fb2c2932ab662bf6918a https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aedcfefdb5b7ed7f8a6196a3e68a25bdbe51d2f8 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc5bd568f9b7683e60841b6fd02c10d64535bd6e

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-74630? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: prevent in6_dev_get() from resurrecting inet6_dev in6_dev_get() reads dev->ip6_ptr under RCU and then unconditionally increments its refcount. Device teardown can clear the pointer and drop the last reference between these operations. The increment then resurrects an object whose RCU free has already been queued, so callers can use it after it is freed. Use refcount_inc_not_zero() and return NULL when the object has already reached zero. RCU keeps the memory accessible through the attempted reference acquisition, and a successful increment pins the object for the caller. An independent run on the exact unpatched 6f5156d7a31a (v7.2-rc3) kernel reproduced the invalid reference acquisition as UID 1000: refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free. ip6_mc_source+0xef4/0x17e0 It was followed by the corresponding reference underflow in ip6_mc_source(). The supplied trace from the same unpatched revision additionally shows the access after the RCU read-side section ends: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mutex_lock+0x76/0xe0 Write of size 8 at addr ffff888015b50240 by task poc/1219 Bug found and triaged by OpenAI Security Research and validated by Trail of Bits. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-74630? +

CVE-2026-74630 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0013, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-74630? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

CVE-2026-74630