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CriticalFix available

net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc

Type: advisorySources: OSV

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc While calling the helpers, a raw pointer to the extensions area is wired into expectations list: -> nf_ct_helper() -> helper->help() -> nf_ct_expect_related_report() -> nf_ct_expect_insert() -> hlist_add_head_rcu(&exp->lnode, &master_help->expectations) In case the connection is not confirmed yet, more extensions can be added afterwards with *_ext_add() calls reallocating the extension space and leaving the now invalid pointer in the expectations list that is later accessed while removing the expectation. Make sure that helpers are called at the end after all the other extensions are already added. Note that the helper rejection now leaves the mark and labels set, but that's not different from how the NAT was handled before or how the mark and the labels were handled on confirmation failure. And there are no atomicity guarantees provided by the API anyway.

Products
Kernel
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 6.6.160, 7.2.9
CVEs
CVE-2026-98490
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
4 Nov 2026, 18:43 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc

core-osv · Original source

Published 18 Oct 2026, 15:16 UTC

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc While calling the helpers, a raw pointer to the extensions area is wired into expectations list: -> nf_ct_helper() -> helper->help() -> nf_ct_expect_related_report() -> nf_ct_expect_insert() -> hlist_add_head_rcu(&exp->lnode, &master_help->expectations) In case the connection is not confirmed yet, more extensions can be added afterwards with *_ext_add() calls reallocating the extension space and leaving the now invalid pointer in the expectations list that is later accessed while removing the expectation. Make sure that helpers are called at the end after all the other extensions are already added. Note that the helper rejection now leaves the mark and labels set, but that's not different from how the NAT was handled before or how the mark and the labels were handled on confirmation failure. And there are no atomicity guarantees provided by the API anyway.

osv:CVE-2026-98490

Kernel

Fixed versions: 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9

Complete source record
{
  "id": "031ba4ffa891bbbdf84a6a91978a4f27f9db11b359b23fbc00df5c26d0282833",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98490",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc",
    "summary": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: openvswitch: conntrack: fix helper UAF due to extensions realloc While calling the helpers, a raw pointer to the extensions area is wired into expectations list: -> nf_ct_helper() -> helper->help() -> nf_ct_expect_related_report() -> nf_ct_expect_insert() -> hlist_add_head_rcu(&exp->lnode, &master_help->expectations) In case the connection is not confirmed yet, more extensions can be added afterwards with *_ext_add() calls reallocating the extension space and leaving the now invalid pointer in the expectations list that is later accessed while removing the expectation. Make sure that helpers are called at the end after all the other extensions are already added. Note that the helper rejection now leaves the mark and labels set, but that's not different from how the NAT was handled before or how the mark and the labels were handled on confirmation failure. And there are no atomicity guarantees provided by the API anyway.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2026-98490",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "Kernel",
          "evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
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            "value": "5.10.273",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          },
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            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          },
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            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          },
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            "value": "6.6.160",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
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          {
            "value": "6.12.112",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.18.55",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          },
          {
            "value": "7.2.9",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      }
    ],
    "severity": "critical",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2026-98490",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2026-98490"
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      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
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              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
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                {
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                {
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                {
                  "fixed": "e02a83bb0b7a203f6a22f55ad5f426765560f811"
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                {
                  "fixed": "1a4151e6be57b098b7a5ebfbde58585e83200cdc"
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          "database_specific": {
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        {
          "ranges": [
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              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
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                  "introduced": "4.3.0"
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                  "fixed": "5.10.273"
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              ]
            },
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "5.11.0"
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                {
                  "fixed": "5.15.224"
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              ]
            },
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "5.16.0"
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            },
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                  "introduced": "6.2.0"
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            },
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                  "introduced": "6.7.0"
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            {
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              "events": [
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                {
                  "fixed": "6.18.55"
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              ]
            },
            {
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          "package": {
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            "ecosystem": "Linux"
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          "database_specific": {
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          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-11-01T02:30:42.714750292Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18866dc1f525f9ee4de7709529d1ae1af8d8e8be",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1a4151e6be57b098b7a5ebfbde58585e83200cdc",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f23080a625dd7855ab91485c8d691a54a1979f0",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84d47a83b7b717576de0defab46b8823a22853b0",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f308197395c1a524b736e401cbc8a2ed7d246c9",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afcf362625190c5260530b1d6c7daa98831f6b83",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e02a83bb0b7a203f6a22f55ad5f426765560f811",
        "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f53d13a286fb275bda0efdf445b8a1e4dfcb717b",
        "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98490.json",
        "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98490",
        "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "cna_assigner": "Linux",
        "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98490.json"
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2026-98490",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 505811,
  "published_at": "2026-10-18T15:16:19.215+00:00"
}