CVE-2026-98101: ipv6: mcast: use copy-on-write RCU updates in ip6_mc_source()

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: 2026-09-25 · updated 2026-10-19

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: mcast: use copy-on-write RCU updates in ip6_mc_source() pmc->sflist is read locklessly under rcu_read_lock() by inet6_mc_check() during packet reception in the UDP and RAW multicast receive paths. ip6_mc_source() mutated psl->sl_addr and psl->sl_count in-place when adding or removing a source filter. Additionally, when expanding the filter buffer, newpsl was published via rcu_assign_pointer() before writing the new source into the array. Because 16-byte struct in6_addr writes are not atomic and array shifting is not synchronized with RCU readers, concurrent readers in inet6_mc_check() could read torn IPv6 addresses or observe duplicated/missed source entries. Fix this by switching ip6_mc_source() to copy-on-write RCU updates: allocate and fully populate newpsl before publishing it via rcu_assign_pointer(), and reclaim the old filter via kfree_rcu(), matching ip6_mc_msfilter(). Also remove the now unused IP6_SFBLOCK macro.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 5.10.261 before 5.11; 5.13 — fixed in 5.11, 7.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.11, 7.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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