Linux: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
CVE-2026-53229 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 bf0247d34d79d2740b3f1d6cc44dbd38ab2b169e, 3bad189a31eb78575ea69f093e8ef5b7e3e8c832, 7b3eeba50fbc3b45f279037c29a87a90e8bac1e1 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 0.48% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to bf0247d34d79d2740b3f1d6cc44dbd38ab2b169e or 3bad189a31eb78575ea69f093e8ef5b7e3e8c832 or 7b3eeba50fbc3b45f279037c29a87a90e8bac1e1 or 2789b74ae1f4b68333c9d5eec2f3354d07b16e61, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.12.94 or 6.18.36 or 7.0.13, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 84a0a2310d6de247335574649726cb000c7c0074 up to, but not including, bf0247d34d79d2740b3f1d6cc44dbd38ab2b169e; 84a0a2310d6de247335574649726cb000c7c0074 up to, but not including, 3bad189a31eb78575ea69f093e8ef5b7e3e8c832; 84a0a2310d6de247335574649726cb000c7c0074 up to, but not including, 7b3eeba50fbc3b45f279037c29a87a90e8bac1e1; 84a0a2310d6de247335574649726cb000c7c0074 up to, but not including, 2789b74ae1f4b68333c9d5eec2f3354d07b16e61; 84a0a2310d6de247335574649726cb000c7c0074 up to, but not including, 0aabca726b43d833721034e97d99efcc8237b22a; 84a0a2310d6de247335574649726cb000c7c0074 up to, but not including, b69004f5a6ad32da84d8aa5b23b9c0caafe6252e; 5.3 | bf0247d34d79d2740b3f1d6cc44dbd38ab2b169e, 3bad189a31eb78575ea69f093e8ef5b7e3e8c832, 7b3eeba50fbc3b45f279037c29a87a90e8bac1e1, 2789b74ae1f4b68333c9d5eec2f3354d07b16e61, 0aabca726b43d833721034e97d99efcc8237b22a, b69004f5a6ad32da84d8aa5b23b9c0caafe6252e |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.3 up to, but not including, 6.12.94; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.36; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.13; 7.1 | 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13 |
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/mlx5e: xsk: Fix DMA and xdp_frame leak on XDP_TX xmit failure In the XSK branch of mlx5e_xmit_xdp_buff(), when sq->xmit_xdp_frame() returns false (e.g. XDPSQ is full), the function returns without unmapping the DMA address or freeing the xdp_frame allocated by xdp_convert_zc_to_xdp_frame(). The xdpi_fifo push only happens on success, so the completion path cannot recover these entries. With CONFIG_DMA_API_DEBUG=y, the leak surfaces on driver unbind: DMA-API: pci 0000:08:00.0: device driver has pending DMA allocations while released from device [count=1116] One of leaked entries details: [device address=0x000000010ffd7028] [size=1534 bytes] [mapped with DMA_TO_DEVICE] [mapped as phy] WARNING: kernel/dma/debug.c:881 at dma_debug_device_change+0x127/0x180 ... DMA-API: Mapped at: debug_dma_map_phys+0x4b/0xd0 dma_map_phys+0xfd/0x2d0 mlx5e_xdp_handle+0x5ae/0xac0 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_xsk_skb_from_cqe_mpwrq_linear+0xc4/0x170 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_handle_rx_cqe_mpwrq+0xc1/0x290 [mlx5_core] Add the missing unmap + xdp_return_frame, matching the cleanup already done in mlx5e_xdp_xmit(). has_frags is rejected earlier in this branch, so no per-frag unmap is needed.
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
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Other references
Recent Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
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