Use-After-Free Vulnerability in Linux Kernel Affects TCP Socket Management

CVE-2026-98432

What is CVE-2026-98432?

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's TCP socket management has been identified, allowing for a use-after-free scenario that can impact network security. Specifically, the issue arises when ownership of certain socket options is transferred between parent and child sockets without proper management. This oversight enables concurrent processes to operate on freed memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The problem stems from the improper handling of request sockets during SYN operations, exacerbated by enhancements that allow simultaneous operations on these sockets. This vulnerability does not extend to IPv6 due to different socket handling mechanisms.

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