CVE-2026-64024: tcp: fix stale per-CPU tcp_tw_isn leak enabling ISN prediction

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.4 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-07-19 · updated 2026-10-29
Weakness: CWE-401

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tcp: fix stale per-CPU tcp_tw_isn leak enabling ISN prediction Blamed commit moved the TIME_WAIT-derived ISN from the skb control block to a per-CPU variable, assuming the value would always be consumed by tcp_conn_request() for the same packet that wrote it. That assumption is violated by multiple drop paths between the producer (__this_cpu_write(tcp_tw_isn, isn) in tcp_v{4,6}_rcv()) and the consumer (tcp_conn_request()): - min_ttl / min_hopcount check - xfrm policy check - tcp_inbound_hash() MD5/AO mismatch - tcp_filter() eBPF/SO_ATTACH_FILTER drop - th->syn && th->fin discard in tcp_rcv_state_process() TCP_LISTEN - psp_sk_rx_policy_check() in tcp_v{4,6}_do_rcv() - tcp_checksum_complete() in tcp_v{4,6}_do_rcv() - tcp_v{4,6}_cookie_check() returning NULL When a packet is dropped on any of these paths, tcp_tw_isn is left set. The next SYN processed on the same CPU then consumes the non zero value in tcp_conn_request(), receiving a potentially predictable ISN. This patch moves back tcp_tw_isn to skb->cb[], getting rid of the per-cpu variable. Note that tcp_v{4,6}_fill_cb() do not set it. Very litle impact on overall code size/complexity: $ scripts/bloat-o-meter -t vmlinux.old vmlinux.new add/remove: 0/0 grow/shrink: 2/1 up/down: 8/-15 (-7) Function old new delta tcp_v6_rcv 3038 3042 +4 tcp_v4_rcv 3035 3039 +4 tcp_conn_request 2938 2923 -15 Total: Before=24436060, After=24436053, chg -0.00%

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 6.10 before 6.12.114; from 6.13 before 6.18.34; from 6.19 before 7.0.11; 7.1-rc1, 7.1-rc2, 7.1-rc3, 7.1-rc4 — fixed in 6.12.114, 6.18.34, 7.0.11

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.12.114, 6.18.34, 7.0.11. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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