Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-23449 is a high-severity Double Free (CWE-415) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 3th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-8 (Security and Privacy Engineering Principles) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-23449 is a double-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/sched subsystem, specifically in the teql_master_xmit function of the TEQL (Traffic Equalizer) queue discipline (qdisc). The issue arises when a TEQL device has a lockless qdisc as its root, leading to a race condition during qdisc_reset operations. Without proper use of the seq_lock, the reset races with the datapath, resulting in a double-free of socket buffer (skb) data, as detected by KASAN in kernel crash logs. This affects Linux kernels supporting TEQL configurations, with exploitation demonstrated in kernels like 7.0.0-rc3.
Local attackers with low privileges (PR:L) can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction (UI:N), as indicated by its CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Exploitation involves configuring a TEQL device and triggering qdisc operations via tc commands, such as tc_get_qdisc, which leads to teql_destroy and improper qdisc_reset calls. Attackers can achieve kernel crashes via use-after-free or double-free, potentially enabling denial of service or further privilege escalation through memory corruption, as shown in a proof-of-concept named poc_teql_uaf_ke that triggers the KASAN-reported double-free.
Mitigation patches are available in Linux kernel stable releases via the referenced commits: 21c89a0a8de7eadad8d385645a95b3233f23130e, 4a233447b941db451ea5f5a0942cffd0f7f7eaae, 4e8ebc4c18ea8213d28e6cb867d18fcc67daca21, 66360460cab63c248ca5b1070a01c0c29133b960, and afbc79a7770b230a9f24bd39271209d6b3682c5f. Security practitioners should update affected systems to kernels incorporating these fixes to ensure proper seq_lock usage during qdisc_reset in TEQL devices.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-18698
Vulnerability Data
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: teql: Fix double-free in teql_master_xmit Whenever a TEQL devices has a lockless Qdisc as root, qdisc_reset should be called using the seq_lock to avoid racing with the datapath. Failure…
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to do so may cause crashes like the following: [ 238.028993][ T318] BUG: KASAN: double-free in skb_release_data (net/core/skbuff.c:1139) [ 238.029328][ T318] Free of addr ffff88810c67ec00 by task poc_teql_uaf_ke/318 [ 238.029749][ T318] [ 238.029900][ T318] CPU: 3 UID: 0 PID: 318 Comm: poc_teql_ke Not tainted 7.0.0-rc3-00149-ge5b31d988a41 #704 PREEMPT(full) [ 238.029906][ T318] Hardware name: Bochs Bochs, BIOS Bochs 01/01/2011 [ 238.029910][ T318] Call Trace: [ 238.029913][ T318] <TASK> [ 238.029916][ T318] dump_stack_lvl (lib/dump_stack.c:122) [ 238.029928][ T318] print_report (mm/kasan/report.c:379 mm/kasan/report.c:482) [ 238.029940][ T318] ? skb_release_data (net/core/skbuff.c:1139) [ 238.029944][ T318] ? srso_alias_return_thunk (arch/x86/lib/retpoline.S:221) ... [ 238.029957][ T318] ? skb_release_data (net/core/skbuff.c:1139) [ 238.029969][ T318] kasan_report_invalid_free (mm/kasan/report.c:221 mm/kasan/report.c:563) [ 238.029979][ T318] ? skb_release_data (net/core/skbuff.c:1139) [ 238.029989][ T318] check_slab_allocation (mm/kasan/common.c:231) [ 238.029995][ T318] kmem_cache_free (mm/slub.c:2637 (discriminator 1) mm/slub.c:6168 (discriminator 1) mm/slub.c:6298 (discriminator 1)) [ 238.030004][ T318] skb_release_data (net/core/skbuff.c:1139) ... [ 238.030025][ T318] sk_skb_reason_drop (net/core/skbuff.c:1256) [ 238.030032][ T318] pfifo_fast_reset (./include/linux/ptr_ring.h:171 ./include/linux/ptr_ring.h:309 ./include/linux/skb_array.h:98 net/sched/sch_generic.c:827) [ 238.030039][ T318] ? srso_alias_return_thunk (arch/x86/lib/retpoline.S:221) ... [ 238.030054][ T318] qdisc_reset (net/sched/sch_generic.c:1034) [ 238.030062][ T318] teql_destroy (./include/linux/spinlock.h:395 net/sched/sch_teql.c:157) [ 238.030071][ T318] __qdisc_destroy (./include/net/pkt_sched.h:328 net/sched/sch_generic.c:1077) [ 238.030077][ T318] qdisc_graft (net/sched/sch_api.c:1062 net/sched/sch_api.c:1053 net/sched/sch_api.c:1159) [ 238.030089][ T318] ? __pfx_qdisc_graft (net/sched/sch_api.c:1091) [ 238.030095][ T318] ? srso_alias_return_thunk (arch/x86/lib/retpoline.S:221) [ 238.030102][ T318] ? srso_alias_return_thunk (arch/x86/lib/retpoline.S:221) [ 238.030106][ T318] ? srso_alias_return_thunk (arch/x86/lib/retpoline.S:221) [ 238.030114][ T318] tc_get_qdisc (net/sched/sch_api.c:1529 net/sched/sch_api.c:1556) ... [ 238.072958][ T318] Allocated by task 303 on cpu 5 at 238.026275s: [ 238.073392][ T318] kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:58) [ 238.073884][ T318] kasan_save_track (mm/kasan/common.c:64 (discriminator 5) mm/kasan/common.c:79 (discriminator 5)) [ 238.074230][ T318] __kasan_slab_alloc (mm/kasan/common.c:369) [ 238.074578][ T318] kmem_cache_alloc_node_noprof (./include/linux/kasan.h:253 mm/slub.c:4542 mm/slub.c:4869 mm/slub.c:4921) [ 238.076091][ T318] kmalloc_reserve (net/core/skbuff.c:616 (discriminator 107)) [ 238.076450][ T318] __alloc_skb (net/core/skbuff.c:713) [ 238.076834][ T318] alloc_skb_with_frags (./include/linux/skbuff.h:1383 net/core/skbuff.c:6763) [ 238.077178][ T318] sock_alloc_send_pskb (net/core/sock.c:2997) [ 238.077520][ T318] packet_sendmsg (net/packet/af_packet.c:2926 net/packet/af_packet.c:3019 net/packet/af_packet.c:3108) [ 238.081469][ T318] [ 238.081870][ T318] Freed by task 299 on cpu 1 at 238.028496s: [ 238.082761][ T318] kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:58) [ 238.083481][ T318] kasan_save_track (mm/kasan/common.c:64 (discriminator 5) mm/kasan/common.c:79 (discriminator 5)) [ 238.085348][ T318] kasan_save_free_info (mm/kasan/generic.c:587 (discriminator 1)) [ 238.085900][ T318] __kasan_slab_free (mm/ ---truncated---
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 1 hardening rule · 1 OS baseline
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation explicitly includes dynamic analysis and fuzzing that locate double-free defects before release.
Security engineering principles can require memory-safe allocation patterns or language features that structurally eliminate double-free opportunities.
Flaw remediation processes require identification and correction of memory-management defects such as double free once discovered.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent double-free errors via static analysis, safe memory APIs, and testing.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development can detect double-free conditions before release.
Secure development life cycle includes memory-safety practices that can prevent double-free bugs.
Application security requirements can mandate memory-safety rules that reduce double-free risk.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles can prescribe safe memory-management patterns.
Secure coding standards directly address proper use of free() and similar functions.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248590 OL 8 must clear the page allocator to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-415