CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-46102NVD status: Modified

Linux: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-46102 is a high-severity missing release of memory after effective lifetime vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions d6668ce0e78d23eabecef9a6bc4f0f739cb28ad3, a470ed71c906cc8cbad0d74c9942216698911f8b, c2e57695ec9ff9d42f23de70f3805199153d007b as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.56% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to d6668ce0e78d23eabecef9a6bc4f0f739cb28ad3 or a470ed71c906cc8cbad0d74c9942216698911f8b or c2e57695ec9ff9d42f23de70f3805199153d007b or e9ae00490d474757c0f9c65073de83e6bb1e5a00, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 5.10.258 or 5.15.209 or 6.1.175 or 6.6.140, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  3. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux43a0c6751a322847cb6fa0ab8cbf77a1d08bfc0a up to, but not including, d6668ce0e78d23eabecef9a6bc4f0f739cb28ad3; 43a0c6751a322847cb6fa0ab8cbf77a1d08bfc0a up to, but not including, a470ed71c906cc8cbad0d74c9942216698911f8b; 43a0c6751a322847cb6fa0ab8cbf77a1d08bfc0a up to, but not including, c2e57695ec9ff9d42f23de70f3805199153d007b; 43a0c6751a322847cb6fa0ab8cbf77a1d08bfc0a up to, but not including, e9ae00490d474757c0f9c65073de83e6bb1e5a00; 43a0c6751a322847cb6fa0ab8cbf77a1d08bfc0a up to, but not including, 5327dad2ffe9c1b49881dd6d51ff3c6893847568; 43a0c6751a322847cb6fa0ab8cbf77a1d08bfc0a up to, but not including, 19ca9475f18f991735f98a22e735c43e95e6298d; 43a0c6751a322847cb6fa0ab8cbf77a1d08bfc0a up to, but not including, 56082f442023db9be1a5a29d4ee361de4017c0b7; 43a0c6751a322847cb6fa0ab8cbf77a1d08bfc0a up to, but not including, fe72340daaf1af588be88056faf98965f39e6032; and 1 more rangesd6668ce0e78d23eabecef9a6bc4f0f739cb28ad3, a470ed71c906cc8cbad0d74c9942216698911f8b, c2e57695ec9ff9d42f23de70f3805199153d007b, e9ae00490d474757c0f9c65073de83e6bb1e5a00, 5327dad2ffe9c1b49881dd6d51ff3c6893847568, 19ca9475f18f991735f98a22e735c43e95e6298d
SiemensSIMATIC S7-1500 TM MFP - GNU/Linux subsystemall versionsNot stated
LinuxLinux Kernel4.9 up to, but not including, 5.10.258; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.209; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.175; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.140; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.86; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.27; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.45.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
NoneNo data is disclosed.
Integrity
NoneNothing can be modified.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. Scored by CNA.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: strparser: fix skb_head leak in strp_abort_strp() When the stream parser is aborted, for example after a message assembly timeout, it can still hold a reference to a partially assembled message in strp->skb_head. That skb is not released in strp_abort_strp(), which leaks the partially assembled message and can be triggered repeatedly to exhaust memory. Fix this by freeing strp->skb_head and resetting the parser state in the abort path. Leave strp_stop() unchanged so final cleanup still happens in strp_done() after the work and timer have been synchronized.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language or tool that provides automatic memory management, or makes manual memory management less error-prone. For example, glibc in Linux provides protection against free of invalid pointers. When using Xcode to target OS X or iOS, enable automatic reference counting (ARC). To help correctly and consistently manage memory when programming in C++, consider using a smart pointer class such as std
  • Use an abstraction library to abstract away risky APIs. Not a complete solution.
  • Consider using the Boehm-Demers-Weiser garbage collector (bdwgc), which can help avoid leaks.

More Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities (CWE-401)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities

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