Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close()
When deleting a peer in case of keepalive expiration, the peer is
removed from the OpenVPN hashtable and is temporary inserted in a
"release list" for further processing.
This happens in:
ovpn_peer_keepalive_work()
unlock_ovpn(release_list)
This processing includes detaching from the socket being used to
talk to this peer, by restoring its original proto and socket
ops/callbacks.
In case of TCP it may happen that, while the peer is sitting in
the release list, userspace decides to close the socket.
This will result in a concurrent execution of:
tcp_close(sk)
__tcp_close(sk)
sock_orphan(sk)
sk_set_socket(sk, NULL)
The last function call will set sk->sk_socket to NULL.
When the releasing routine is resumed, ovpn_tcp_socket_detach()
will attempt to dereference sk->sk_socket to restore its original
ops member. This operation will crash due to sk->sk_socket being NULL.
Fix this race condition by testing-and-accessing
sk->sk_socket atomically under sk->sk_callback_lock.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.16 | 6.18.14 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | linux | 6.18.14-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux +8 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +23 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.14 +1 | No fix yet | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.18.15-14.217 | 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1514 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf6.18 +14 | 1:6.18.15-14.217.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1514 |
Advisories 2
- WID-SEC-2026-1700 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1514 Important: kernel6.18 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 16, 2026