CVE-2026-98235: net/sched: act_api: release tail references on DELACTION failure

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: 2026-10-06 · updated 2026-10-19

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: act_api: release tail references on DELACTION failure A batched RTM_DELACTION request takes a temporary reference on each action before attempting any deletion. tcf_action_delete() clears each processed slot and drops its temporary reference before attempting the deletion. If deletion fails, tca_action_gd() calls tcf_action_put_many() to release the remaining references, but its tcf_act_for_each_action() iterator stops at the first NULL slot. When a batch stops at an action bound to a filter, this leaks a reference on each subsequent action. A later delete of an unbound action can then return success without removing it from the IDR. Walk the full array in tcf_action_put_many() and skip NULL slots to release the references held on the unprocessed actions.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 6.8 — fixed in 7.3

How to fix

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

References

Get alerted when CVE-2026-98235 or the next vulnerability affects your stack