CVE-2026-22976

Published Jan 21, 2026

Last updated 5 days ago

Overview

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: sch_qfq: Fix NULL deref when deactivating inactive aggregate in qfq_reset `qfq_class->leaf_qdisc->q.qlen > 0` does not imply that the class itself is active. Two qfq_class objects may point to the same leaf_qdisc. This happens when: 1. one QFQ qdisc is attached to the dev as the root qdisc, and 2. another QFQ qdisc is temporarily referenced (e.g., via qdisc_get() / qdisc_put()) and is pending to be destroyed, as in function tc_new_tfilter. When packets are enqueued through the root QFQ qdisc, the shared leaf_qdisc->q.qlen increases. At the same time, the second QFQ qdisc triggers qdisc_put and qdisc_destroy: the qdisc enters qfq_reset() with its own q->q.qlen == 0, but its class's leaf qdisc->q.qlen > 0. Therefore, the qfq_reset would wrongly deactivate an inactive aggregate and trigger a null-deref in qfq_deactivate_agg: [ 0.903172] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 [ 0.903571] #PF: supervisor write access in kernel mode [ 0.903860] #PF: error_code(0x0002) - not-present page [ 0.904177] PGD 10299b067 P4D 10299b067 PUD 10299c067 PMD 0 [ 0.904502] Oops: Oops: 0002 [#1] SMP NOPTI [ 0.904737] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 135 Comm: exploit Not tainted 6.19.0-rc3+ #2 NONE [ 0.905157] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.17.0-0-gb52ca86e094d-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 0.905754] RIP: 0010:qfq_deactivate_agg (include/linux/list.h:992 (discriminator 2) include/linux/list.h:1006 (discriminator 2) net/sched/sch_qfq.c:1367 (discriminator 2) net/sched/sch_qfq.c:1393 (discriminator 2)) [ 0.906046] Code: 0f 84 4d 01 00 00 48 89 70 18 8b 4b 10 48 c7 c2 ff ff ff ff 48 8b 78 08 48 d3 e2 48 21 f2 48 2b 13 48 8b 30 48 d3 ea 8b 4b 18 0 Code starting with the faulting instruction =========================================== 0: 0f 84 4d 01 00 00 je 0x153 6: 48 89 70 18 mov %rsi,0x18(%rax) a: 8b 4b 10 mov 0x10(%rbx),%ecx d: 48 c7 c2 ff ff ff ff mov $0xffffffffffffffff,%rdx 14: 48 8b 78 08 mov 0x8(%rax),%rdi 18: 48 d3 e2 shl %cl,%rdx 1b: 48 21 f2 and %rsi,%rdx 1e: 48 2b 13 sub (%rbx),%rdx 21: 48 8b 30 mov (%rax),%rsi 24: 48 d3 ea shr %cl,%rdx 27: 8b 4b 18 mov 0x18(%rbx),%ecx ... [ 0.907095] RSP: 0018:ffffc900004a39a0 EFLAGS: 00010246 [ 0.907368] RAX: ffff8881043a0880 RBX: ffff888102953340 RCX: 0000000000000000 [ 0.907723] RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: 0000000000000000 [ 0.908100] RBP: ffff888102952180 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 [ 0.908451] R10: ffff8881043a0000 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: ffff888102952000 [ 0.908804] R13: ffff888102952180 R14: ffff8881043a0ad8 R15: ffff8881043a0880 [ 0.909179] FS: 000000002a1a0380(0000) GS:ffff888196d8d000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 0.909572] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 0.909857] CR2: 0000000000000000 CR3: 0000000102993002 CR4: 0000000000772ef0 [ 0.910247] PKRU: 55555554 [ 0.910391] Call Trace: [ 0.910527] <TASK> [ 0.910638] qfq_reset_qdisc (net/sched/sch_qfq.c:357 net/sched/sch_qfq.c:1485) [ 0.910826] qdisc_reset (include/linux/skbuff.h:2195 include/linux/skbuff.h:2501 include/linux/skbuff.h:3424 include/linux/skbuff.h:3430 net/sched/sch_generic.c:1036) [ 0.911040] __qdisc_destroy (net/sched/sch_generic.c:1076) [ 0.911236] tc_new_tfilter (net/sched/cls_api.c:2447) [ 0.911447] rtnetlink_rcv_msg (net/core/rtnetlink.c:6958) [ 0.911663] ? __pfx_rtnetlink_rcv_msg (net/core/rtnetlink.c:6861) [ 0.911894] netlink_rcv_skb (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2550) [ 0.912100] netlink_unicast (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1319 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1344) [ 0.912296] ? __alloc_skb (net/core/skbuff.c:706) [ 0.912484] netlink_sendmsg (net/netlink/af ---truncated---
Source
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
NVD status
Modified
Products
linux_kernel

Risk scores

CVSS 3.1

Type
Primary
Base score
5.5
Impact score
3.6
Exploitability score
1.8
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Severity
MEDIUM

Weaknesses

nvd@nist.gov
CWE-476
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CWE-476

Social media

Hype score
Not currently trending

Configurations

  1. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cgroup: Avoid iteration of dying tasks with zero refcount The commit 260fbcb92bbea ("cgroup: Move dying_tasks cleanup from cgroup_task_release() to cgroup_task_free()") extended the lifetime of tasks on the dying_tasks list. The iterators have provision to go through dying_tasks because of dying threadgroup leaders or explicit CSS_TASK_ITER_WITH_DEAD, however, it was expected that such tasks can obtain a new reference (that is possible before cgroup_task_release()/put_task_struct_rcu_user()). The tasks after cgroup_task_release() and before cgroup_task_free() are subject to race when they may or may not have ->usage count > 0. The race window is between css_task_iter_next() invocations when css_set_lock is released and we may arrive at a new ->task_pos. The iterator should not attempt to resurrect tasks whose ->usage count dropped to zero. (When that happens, __put_task_struct_rcu_cb() is already imminent and the returned task_struct would could be used after free.) As for the fix, we cannot simply check the signal->live count of a task on the dying list because that won't distinguish regular zombies waiting to be reaped from RCU remnant tasks that are going to be free'd. Therefore add an extra check to rule out ->usage==0 tasks from any iteration. The repeat: loop in css_task_iter_advance() doesn't consider ->usage count, so add a new loop to css_task_iter_next() to skip de-used tasks on the dying_list. Rough illustration of the possible race R (reader of cgroup.procs) T (thread) L (group leader) --------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- L exits, signal->live > 0 cgroup_task_dead(L) css_set_skip_task_iters() // skips only cset->tasks list_add_tail(&L->cg_list, &cset->dying_tasks) css_task_iter_next() take css_set_lock css_task_iter_advance() leader && signal->live != 0 => it->task_pos = &L->cg_list release css_set_lock T exits --signal->live == 0 cgroup_task_dead(T) // css_set_lock release_task(T) cgroup_task_release(T) release_task(L) // zap_leader cgroup_task_release(L) put_task_struct_rcu_user(L) ...RCU... put_task_struct(L) L->usage = 0 /* L still on dying_tasks */ ...RCU... __put_task_struct(L) css_task_iter_next() // another iteration take css_set_lock it->task_pos = &L->cg_list get_task_struct(L) => addition on 0 drop css_set_lock cgroup_task_free(L) css_set_skip_task_iters() // dying skip comes too late free_task(L) cgroup_procs_show() task_pid_vnr(L)•CVE-2026-98163