High · published August 5, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
xfrm: fix sk_dst_cache double-free in xfrm_user_policy()
xfrm_user_policy() clears the socket dst cache with __sk_dst_reset(),
i.e. the non-atomic __sk_dst_set(sk, NULL): it reads sk_dst_cache with
rcu_dereference_protected(), stores NULL and dst_release()s the old dst.
That is only safe if no other thread modifies sk_dst_cache concurrently.
For a connected UDP socket that does not hold: the transmit fast path
(udp_sendmsg -> sk_dst_check -> sk_dst_reset) resets the cache locklessly
with an atomic xchg(). A per-socket policy change racing a send can make
both sides observe the same old dst and each dst_release() it, dropping
the socket's single reference twice and freeing the xfrm_dst bundle while
it is still referenced:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in dst_release
Write of size 4 at addr ffff88801897b6c0 by task exploit/155
Call Trace:
...
dst_release (... ./include/linux/rcuref.h:109)
xfrm_user_policy (./include/net/sock.h:2239 ./include/net/sock.h:2256 net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c:3053)
do_ip_setsockopt (net/ipv4/ip_sockglue.c:1347)
ip_setsockopt (net/ipv4/ip_sockglue.c:1417)
do_sock_setsockopt (net/socket.c:2368)
__sys_setsockopt (net/socket.c:2393)
__x64_sys_setsockopt (net/socket.c:2396)
do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94)
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:121)
Reachable by an unprivileged user via a user+network namespace.
Use the atomic sk_dst_reset() so the cache is cleared and released with a
single xchg(): whichever side wins releases the dst once, the other sees
NULL and does nothing. Behaviour is otherwise unchanged.