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Full vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-64045High confidence

ovpn: tcp - use cached peer pointer in ovpn_tcp_close()

Linux · Linux

8.4HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
Distribution package intelligence

Ubuntu vendor package status

Canonical’s release and source-package findings are shown separately from local repository availability.

13 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Ubuntu releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-aws-6.14Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-azure-6.11Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-azure-fde-6.14Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-azure-nvidia-6.14Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-gcp-6.11Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-hwe-6.11Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-nvidia-6.11Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-oem-6.11Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-oracle-6.14Affected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-raspi-realtimeAffected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-realtimeAffected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelinux-riscvAffected, no fix publishedCanonical OVAL identifies this running kernel flavour as affected and does not publish a fixed package version in this definition.Not published in this feedCanonical record ↗Source updated 9 Sept 2026
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2026-45618

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ovpn: tcp - use cached peer pointer in ovpn_tcp_close() ovpn_tcp_close() loads the ovpn_socket via rcu_dereference_sk_user_data() under rcu_read_lock(), takes a reference on sock->peer, caches the peer pointer in a local, and drops the read lock. It then passes sock->peer (rather than the cached local) to ovpn_peer_del(), re-dereferencing the ovpn_socket after the RCU read section has ended. Unlike ovpn_tcp_sendmsg(), which uses the same "load under RCU, use after unlock" pattern but is protected by lock_sock() held across the function, ovpn_tcp_close() runs without the socket lock: inet_release() invokes sk_prot->close() without taking lock_sock first. ovpn_socket_release() can therefore complete its kref_put -> detach -> synchronize_rcu -> kfree(sock) sequence concurrently, in the window after ovpn_tcp_close() drops rcu_read_lock() but before it dereferences sock->peer. The synchronize_rcu() in ovpn_socket_release() protects readers that use the dereferenced pointer inside the RCU read section, not those that escape the pointer to a local and use it afterwards. A reproducer follows the pattern of commit 94560267d6c4 ("ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close()"): trigger a peer removal (keepalive expiration or netlink OVPN_CMD_DEL_PEER) at the same moment userspace closes the TCP fd. That commit fixed the detach-side of the same race window; this one fixes the close-side at a different victim. Tighten the entry block to read sock->peer exactly once into the cached peer local, and route all subsequent uses (the hold check, the ovpn_peer_del() call, and the prot->close() invocation) through that local. sock->peer is only ever written once in ovpn_socket_new() under lock_sock(), before rcu_assign_sk_user_data() publishes the ovpn_socket, and is never reassigned afterwards - but the previous multi-read pattern made that invariant implicit rather than explicit. The same multi-read shape exists in ovpn_tcp_recvmsg(), ovpn_tcp_sendmsg(), ovpn_tcp_data_ready() and ovpn_tcp_write_space(); those will be cleaned up via a dedicated helper in a follow-up net-next series.

What

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ovpn: tcp - use cached peer pointer in ovpn_tcp_close() ovpn_tcp_close() loads the ovpn_socket via rcu_dereference_sk_user_data() under rcu_read_lock(), takes a reference on sock->peer, caches the peer pointer in a local, and drops the read lock. It then passes sock->peer (rather than the cached local) to ovpn_peer_del(), re-dereferencing the ovpn_socket after the RCU read section has ended. Unlike ovpn_tcp_sendmsg(), which uses the same "load under RCU, use after unlock" pattern but is protected by lock_sock() held across the function, ovpn_tcp_close() runs without the socket lock: inet_release() invokes sk_prot->close() without taking lock_sock first. ovpn_socket_release() can therefore complete its kref_put -> detach -> synchronize_rcu -> kfree(sock) sequence concurrently, in the window after ovpn_tcp_close() drops rcu_read_lock() but before it dereferences sock->peer. The synchronize_rcu() in ovpn_socket_release() protects readers that use the dereferenced pointer inside the RCU read section, not those that escape the pointer to a local and use it afterwards. A reproducer follows the pattern of commit 94560267d6c4 ("ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close()"): trigger a peer removal (keepalive expiration or netlink OVPN_CMD_DEL_PEER) at the same moment userspace closes the TCP fd. That commit fixed the detach-side of the same race window; this one fixes the close-side at a different victim. Tighten the entry block to read sock->peer exactly once into the cached peer local, and route all subsequent uses (the hold check, the ovpn_peer_del() call, and the prot->close() invocation) through that local. sock->peer is only ever written once in ovpn_socket_new() under lock_sock(), before rcu_assign_sk_user_data() publishes the ovpn_socket, and is never reassigned afterwards - but the previous multi-read pattern made that invariant implicit rather than explicit. The same multi-read shape exists in ovpn_tcp_recvmsg(), ovpn_tcp_sendmsg(), ovpn_tcp_data_ready() and ovpn_tcp_write_space(); those will be cleaned up via a dedicated helper in a follow-up net-next series.

Why

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ovpn: tcp - use cached peer pointer in ovpn_tcp_close() ovpn_tcp_close() loads the ovpn_socket via rcu_dereference_sk_user_data() under rcu_read_lock(), takes a reference on sock->peer, caches the peer pointer in a local, and drops the read lock. It then passes sock->peer (rather than the cached local) to ovpn_peer_del(), re-dereferencing the ovpn_socket after the RCU read section has ended. Unlike ovpn_tcp_sendmsg(), which uses the same "load under RCU, use after unlock" pattern but is protected by lock_sock() held across the function, ovpn_tcp_close() runs without the socket lock: inet_release() invokes sk_prot->close() without taking lock_sock first. ovpn_socket_release() can therefore complete its kref_put -> detach -> synchronize_rcu -> kfree(sock) sequence concurrently, in the window after ovpn_tcp_close() drops rcu_read_lock() but before it dereferences sock->peer. The synchronize_rcu() in ovpn_socket_release() protects readers that use the dereferenced pointer inside the RCU read section, not those that escape the pointer to a local and use it afterwards. A reproducer follows the pattern of commit 94560267d6c4 ("ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close()"): trigger a peer removal (keepalive expiration or netlink OVPN_CMD_DEL_PEER) at the same moment userspace closes the TCP fd. That commit fixed the detach-side of the same race window; this one fixes the close-side at a different victim. Tighten the entry block to read sock->peer exactly once into the cached peer local, and route all subsequent uses (the hold check, the ovpn_peer_del() call, and the prot->close() invocation) through that local. sock->peer is only ever written once in ovpn_socket_new() under lock_sock(), before rcu_assign_sk_user_data() publishes the ovpn_socket, and is never reassigned afterwards - but the previous multi-read pattern made that invariant implicit rather than explicit. The same multi-read shape exists in ovpn_tcp_recvmsg(), ovpn_tcp_sendmsg(), ovpn_tcp_data_ready() and ovpn_tcp_write_space(); those will be cleaned up via a dedicated helper in a follow-up net-next series.

Why

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
local access → NULL Pointer Dereference → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-476

CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference. The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.
UnauthenticatedCWE-476
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-W-2026-2403Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen nicht spezifizierten Angriff

Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen im Linux Kernel ausnutzen, um einen nicht näher spezifizierten Angriff durchzuführen, möglicherweise Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu umgehen, einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand herbeizuführen oder vertrauliche Informationen offenzulegen.

Official advisory
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2026-AVI-1066Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu

d?id=CVE-2026-64036 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64037 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64037 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64038 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64038 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64039 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64039 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64040 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64040 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64041 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64041 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64042 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64042 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64043 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64043 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64044 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64044 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64045 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64045 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64046 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64046 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64047 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64047 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64048 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64048 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64049 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64049 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64050 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64050 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64051 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64051 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64052 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64052 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64053 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=

Official advisory
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2026-AVI-0954Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu

d?id=CVE-2026-64036 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64037 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64037 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64038 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64038 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64039 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64039 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64040 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64040 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64041 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64041 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64042 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64042 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64043 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64043 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64044 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64044 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64045 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64045 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64046 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64046 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64047 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64047 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64048 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64048 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64049 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64049 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64050 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64050 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64051 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64051 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64052 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64052 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64053 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=

Official advisory
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2026-AVI-0926Multiples vulnérabilités dans le noyau Linux d'Ubuntu

d?id=CVE-2026-64036 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64037 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64037 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64038 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64038 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64039 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64039 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64040 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64040 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64041 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64041 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64042 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64042 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64043 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64043 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64044 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64044 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64045 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64045 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64046 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64046 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64047 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64047 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64048 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64048 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64049 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64049 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64050 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64050 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64051 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64051 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64052 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64052 Référence CVE CVE-2026-64053 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=

Official advisory
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
11851cbd60ea1e5abbd97619d69845ead99303d6 < e5460eb7238c19d651a9b22b2378b587033a4095; 11851cbd60ea1e5abbd97619d69845ead99303d6 < d3ef441907fca7c340979e577a3db3bb634bf166; 11851cbd60ea1e5abbd97619d69845ead99303d6 < 775d8d7ad02aa345e1588424a6a8b9ae49fb9012; 6.16
Fixed
< 6.16; 6.18.34 ≤ 6.18.*; 7.0.11 ≤ 7.0.*; 7.1 ≤ *
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 19 Jul 2026 · Last source change 5 Aug 2026, 12:38 UTC · CWE-476 · NULL Pointer Dereference

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-45618
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates →
  1. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed from authoritative remediation link to authoritative remediation link · patch.
    Before
    authoritative remediation link
    After
    authoritative remediation link · patch
    416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2026-64045 · cve.blacktree.nl