CVE-2026-53275: ipv6: mcast: Fix use-after-free when processing MLD queries

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-53275 is a high (CVSS 8.8) Use After Free vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.26% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 18.1% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 25-06-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 19-10-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: mcast: Fix use-after-free when processing MLD queries When processing an MLD query, a pointer to the multicast group address is retrieved when initially parsing the packet. This pointer is later dereferenced without being reloaded despite the fact that the skb header might have been reallocated following the pskb_may_pull() calls, leading to a use-after-free [1]. Fix by copying the multicast group address when the packet is initially parsed. [1] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __mld_query_work (net/ipv6/mcast.c:1512) Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881154b8e90 by task kworker/4:1/118 Workqueue: mld mld_query_work Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl (lib/dump_stack.c:94 lib/dump_stack.c:120) print_address_description.constprop.0 (mm/kasan/report.c:378) print_report (mm/kasan/report.c:482) kasan_report (mm/kasan/report.c:595) __mld_query_work (net/ipv6/mcast.c:1512) mld_query_work (net/ipv6/mcast.c:1563) process_one_work (kernel/workqueue.c:3314) worker_thread (kernel/workqueue.c:3397 kernel/workqueue.c:3478) kthread (kernel/kthread.c:436) ret_from_fork (arch/x86/kernel/process.c:158) ret_from_fork_asm (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245) </TASK> [...] Freed by task 118: kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:57) kasan_save_track (mm/kasan/common.c:78) kasan_save_free_info (mm/kasan/generic.c:584) __kasan_slab_free (mm/kasan/common.c:253 mm/kasan/common.c:285) kfree (./include/linux/kasan.h:235 mm/slub.c:2689 mm/slub.c:6251 mm/slub.c:6566) pskb_expand_head (net/core/skbuff.c:2335) __pskb_pull_tail (net/core/skbuff.c:2878 (discriminator 4)) __mld_query_work (net/ipv6/mcast.c:1495 (discriminator 1)) mld_query_work (net/ipv6/mcast.c:1563) process_one_work (kernel/workqueue.c:3314) worker_thread (kernel/workqueue.c:3397 kernel/workqueue.c:3478) kthread (kernel/kthread.c:436) ret_from_fork (arch/x86/kernel/process.c:158) ret_from_fork_asm (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245)

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.