CVE-2026-43451

netfilter: nfnetlink_queue: fix entry leak in bridge verdict error path

published May 8, 2026

CVSS
—
EPSS
0%
Percentile
5.1
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

netfilter: nfnetlink_queue: fix entry leak in bridge verdict error path

nfqnl_recv_verdict() calls find_dequeue_entry() to remove the queue

entry from the queue data structures, taking ownership of the entry.

For PF_BRIDGE packets, it then calls nfqa_parse_bridge() to parse VLAN

attributes. If nfqa_parse_bridge() returns an error (e.g. NFQA_VLAN

present but NFQA_VLAN_TCI missing), the function returns immediately

without freeing the dequeued entry or its sk_buff.

This leaks the nf_queue_entry, its associated sk_buff, and all held

references (net_device refcounts, struct net refcount). Repeated

triggering exhausts kernel memory.

Fix this by dropping the entry via nfqnl_reinject() with NF_DROP verdict

on the error path, consistent with other error handling in this file.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00162 · 5.1th percentile
Published
2026-05-08T14:22Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 08 MAY 14:22Z
    netfilter: nfnetlink_queue: fix entry leak in bridge verdict error path
    cvelistv5