CVE-2026-74558: Linux Vulnerability

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xsk: reclaim invalid Tx descriptors in ZC batch path The zero-copy Tx batch parser stops when it encounters an invalid descriptor. If this happens after one or more continuation descriptors, the Tx consumer can be advanced past fragments that are neither submitted to the driver nor returned to userspace through the completion ring. A similar problem occurs when a packet exceeds xdp_zc_max_segs. The descriptors consumed up to the limit are released without completion, and the remaining continuation descriptors can subsequently be interpreted as the beginning of another packet. Parse Tx batches in packet units and distinguish descriptors belonging to complete valid packets from descriptors consumed while draining an invalid or oversized packet. Return the former to the driver and append the latter to the CQ address area so userspace can reclaim their UMEM frames. Treat a standalone invalid descriptor as a one-descriptor reclaim-only packet. Advancing the Tx-ring consumer releases the ring slot, but does not by itself return ownership of the referenced UMEM frame to userspace. Once draining starts, continue until the packet's end-of-packet descriptor is consumed. Preserve the drain state on the socket when EOP has not yet been supplied, so draining can continue during a later call. Leave incomplete but otherwise valid packets on the Tx ring. Shared-UMEM pools using multi-buffer Tx also need packet-framed parsing. Walk their Tx sockets one packet at a time, preserving the existing per-socket fairness scheme, instead of using the legacy one-descriptor fallback. Keep that fallback for shared pools that do not use multi-buffer Tx. Since the drain state is maintained per socket and both the singular and shared paths can resume an interrupted drain, changing the socket list from singular to shared requires no special bind-time transition. CQ entries are positional, and drivers may complete only part of the Tx work returned by xsk_tx_peek_release_desc_batch(). Therefore, reclaim-only entries cannot be published immediately when earlier driver-visible descriptors are still outstanding. Track the number of driver-visible CQ entries preceding the reclaim entries. Let xsk_tx_completed() publish partial hardware Tx completions, and publish the reclaim entries only after every earlier Tx descriptor has completed. Complete a reclaim-only batch immediately when there is no driver-visible work in front of it, and prevent another Tx batch from being appended while reclaim entries remain pending. Also cap batch processing by the size of the pool's temporary descriptor array, as Tx rings belonging to sockets sharing a UMEM may have different sizes. This ensures that every invalid Tx descriptor consumed by the ZC batch path is either submitted to the driver as part of a valid packet or returned to userspace without violating CQ completion ordering.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

0.14%

4.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= cf24f5a5feeaae34c1a34d1e04f8ac697290427a, < e7ce2bad0c33471c8da4dd73dff2119a68f96f3a; >= cf24f5a5feeaae34c1a34d1e04f8ac697290427a, < 72f2b4516faf55d4dfac2414649d3cffa5fd2c5e
Linux	Linux	6.6

References

Timeline

Published: Aug 15, 2026
Last Modified: Aug 17, 2026
Status: Received

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-74558?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xsk: reclaim invalid Tx descriptors in ZC batch path The zero-copy Tx batch parser stops when it encounters an invalid descriptor. If this happens after one or more continuation descriptors, the Tx consumer can be advanced past fragments that are neither submitted to the driver nor returned to userspace through the completion ring. A similar problem occurs when a packet exceeds xdp_zc_max_segs. The descriptors consumed up to the limit are released without completion, and the remaining continuation descriptors can subsequently be interpreted as the beginning of another packet. Parse Tx batches in packet units and distinguish descriptors belonging to complete valid packets from descriptors consumed while draining an invalid or oversized packet. Return the former to the driver and append the latter to the CQ address area so userspace can reclaim their UMEM frames. Treat a standalone invalid descriptor as a one-descriptor reclaim-only packet. Advancing the Tx-ring consumer releases the ring slot, but does not by itself return ownership of the referenced UMEM frame to userspace. Once draining starts, continue until the packet's end-of-packet descriptor is consumed. Preserve the drain state on the socket when EOP has not yet been supplied, so draining can continue during a later call. Leave incomplete but otherwise valid packets on the Tx ring. Shared-UMEM pools using multi-buffer Tx also need packet-framed parsing. Walk their Tx sockets one packet at a time, preserving the existing per-socket fairness scheme, instead of using the legacy one-descriptor fallback. Keep that fallback for shared pools that do not use multi-buffer Tx. Since the drain state is maintained per socket and both the singular and shared paths can resume an interrupted drain, changing the socket list from singular to shared requires no special bind-time transition. CQ entries are positional, and drivers may complete only part of the Tx work returned by xsk_tx_peek_release_desc_batch(). Therefore, reclaim-only entries cannot be published immediately when earlier driver-visible descriptors are still outstanding. Track the number of driver-visible CQ entries preceding the reclaim entries. Let xsk_tx_completed() publish partial hardware Tx completions, and publish the reclaim entries only after every earlier Tx descriptor has completed. Complete a reclaim-only batch immediately when there is no driver-visible work in front of it, and prevent another Tx batch from being appended while reclaim entries remain pending. Also cap batch processing by the size of the pool's temporary descriptor array, as Tx rings belonging to sockets sharing a UMEM may have different sizes. This ensures that every invalid Tx descriptor consumed by the ZC batch path is either submitted to the driver as part of a valid packet or returned to userspace without violating CQ completion ordering.

How severe is CVE-2026-74558?

Severity scoring for CVE-2026-74558 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 0.14% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-74558?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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