CVE-2026-74662: inet: frags: publish queues before arming timer

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-08-22 · updated 2026-10-16

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inet: frags: publish queues before arming timer inet_frag_create() arms the fragment queue timer before inserting the queue into the fqdir rhashtable. If the namespace fragment timeout is zero or negative, the timer can run before the queue is published. The timer callback then marks the queue complete, tries to remove a node that is not in the hash table yet, and drops the anticipated hash reference. Creation can subsequently publish the completed queue without restoring that reference, leaving a stale hash node after the caller drops the remaining reference. Publish the queue first and arm the timer while holding the queue lock. This makes timer expiry wait until the queue is visible in the hash table, so inet_frag_kill() can remove the node and balance the hash reference.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 4.4.174 before 4.5; 4.17 — fixed in 4.5, 7.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 4.5, 7.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

Get alerted when CVE-2026-74662 or the next vulnerability affects your stack