CVE-2026-90393: bpf: Fix potential UAF in bpf_netns_link_update_prog

Severity: unknown
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-09-17 · updated 2026-10-19

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix potential UAF in bpf_netns_link_update_prog In bpf_netns_link_update_prog, the checks for old_prog and prog type are currently performed locklessly before acquiring netns_bpf_mutex. This creates a race condition that can lead to a UAF issue. If two threads concurrently execute BPF_LINK_UPDATE on the same netns link, the following execution path can trigger a UAF: CPU0 CPU1 bpf_netns_link_update_prog if (old_prog && old_prog != link->prog) return -EPERM; bpf_netns_link_update_prog if (old_prog && old_prog != link->prog) ... old_prog = xchg(&link->prog, new_prog); bpf_prog_put(old_prog); if (new_prog->type != link->prog->type) <-- trigger UAF Fix this by moving the old_prog and prog->type checks inside the netns_bpf_mutex critical section. Meanwhile, use guard() to simplify lock management and avoid all the goto jumping.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 5.8 — fixed in 7.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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