CVE-2024-26676: af_unix: Call kfree_skb() for dead unix_(sk)->oob_skb in GC.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
af_unix: Call kfree_skb() for dead unix_(sk)->oob_skb in GC.
syzbot reported a warning [0] in __unix_gc() with a repro, which
creates a socketpair and sends one socket's fd to itself using the
peer.
socketpair(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0, [3, 4]) = 0
sendmsg(4, {msg_name=NULL, msg_namelen=0, msg_iov=[{iov_base="\360", iov_len=1}],
msg_iovlen=1, msg_control=[{cmsg_len=20, cmsg_level=SOL_SOCKET,
cmsg_type=SCM_RIGHTS, cmsg_data=[3]}],
msg_controllen=24, msg_flags=0}, MSG_OOB|MSG_PROBE|MSG_DONTWAIT|MSG_ZEROCOPY) = 1
This forms a self-cyclic reference that GC should finally untangle
but does not due to lack of MSG_OOB handling, resulting in memory
leak.
Recently, commit 11498715f266 ("af_unix: Remove io_uring code for
GC.") removed io_uring's dead code in GC and revealed the problem.
The code was executed at the final stage of GC and unconditionally
moved all GC candidates from gc_candidates to gc_inflight_list.
That papered over the reported problem by always making the following
WARN_ON_ONCE(!list_empty(&gc_candidates)) false.
The problem has been there since commit 2aab4b969002 ("af_unix: fix
struct pid leaks in OOB support") added full scm support for MSG_OOB
while fixing another bug.
To fix this problem, we must call kfree_skb() for unix_sk(sk)->oob_skb
if the socket still exists in gc_candidates after purging collected skb.
Then, we need to set NULL to oob_skb before calling kfree_skb() because
it calls last fput() and triggers unix_release_sock(), where we call
duplicate kfree_skb(u->oob_skb) if not NULL.
Note that the leaked socket remained being linked to a global list, so
kmemleak also could not detect it. We need to check /proc/net/protocol
to notice the unfreed socket.
[0]:
WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 2863 at net/unix/garbage.c:345 __unix_gc+0xc74/0xe80 net/unix/garbage.c:345
Modules linked in:
CPU: 0 PID: 2863 Comm: kworker/u4:11 Not tainted 6.8.0-rc1-syzkaller-00583-g1701940b1a02 #0
Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/25/2024
Workqueue: events_unbound __unix_gc
RIP: 0010:__unix_gc+0xc74/0xe80 net/unix/garbage.c:345
Code: 8b 5c 24 50 e9 86 f8 ff ff e8 f8 e4 22 f8 31 d2 48 c7 c6 30 6a 69 89 4c 89 ef e8 97 ef ff ff e9 80 f9 ff ff e8 dd e4 22 f8 90 <0f> 0b 90 e9 7b fd ff ff 48 89 df e8 5c e7 7c f8 e9 d3 f8 ff ff e8
RSP: 0018:ffffc9000b03fba0 EFLAGS: 00010293
RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffc9000b03fc10 RCX: ffffffff816c493e
RDX: ffff88802c02d940 RSI: ffffffff896982f3 RDI: ffffc9000b03fb30
RBP: ffffc9000b03fce0 R08: 0000000000000001 R09: fffff52001607f66
R10: 0000000000000003 R11: 0000000000000002 R12: dffffc0000000000
R13: ffffc9000b03fc10 R14: ffffc9000b03fc10 R15: 0000000000000001
FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880b9400000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 00005559c8677a60 CR3: 000000000d57a000 CR4: 00000000003506f0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Call Trace:
<TASK>
process_one_work+0x889/0x15e0 kernel/workqueue.c:2633
process_scheduled_works kernel/workqueue.c:2706 [inline]
worker_thread+0x8b9/0x12a0 kernel/workqueue.c:2787
kthread+0x2c6/0x3b0 kernel/kthread.c:388
ret_from_fork+0x45/0x80 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:147
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1b/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:242
</TASK>
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-26676 is a Linux kernel memory leak in AF_UNIX socket garbage collection. A local user can trigger a condition involving out-of-band UNIX socket data that leaves sockets unfreed, potentially degrading availability over time. The source bundle does not show remote exposure or data theft impact.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate availability risk. It is not presented as remotely exploitable, but shared Linux environments should be patched through normal security maintenance because local users may be able to consume kernel memory over time.
Technical view
The bug is in net/unix garbage collection handling of unix_sk(sk)->oob_skb. A self-cyclic SCM_RIGHTS reference with MSG_OOB was not fully purged, leaving candidates in GC and leaking memory. The fix frees oob_skb and nulls the pointer before kfree_skb to avoid duplicate freeing during release.
Likely exposure
Exposure applies to Linux systems running affected kernel versions or unpatched vendor kernels containing the AF_UNIX OOB garbage-collection bug. Multi-user servers, shared compute, and container hosts are more relevant than single-user systems because exploitation requires local privileges.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and availability-only impact. The bundle marks KEV as false and provides no evidence of active exploitation in the wild. A syzbot reproducer exists, but operational exploitation status is not established by the provided sources.
Researcher notes
The core issue is incomplete MSG_OOB handling in AF_UNIX GC after purging collected skb objects. The source notes kmemleak may miss the leaked socket because it remains linked globally; /proc/net/protocol was identified as a way to notice unfreed sockets.
Mitigation direction
Update to a vendor-supported kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
Check Linux distribution advisories for backported fixes before relying on version strings.
Prioritize shared Linux hosts where untrusted local users or workloads run.
Monitor vendor kernel channels for any revised affected-version guidance.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux kernel versions across servers, workstations, and container hosts.
Map installed kernels to vendor advisories or the referenced stable commits.
Review whether untrusted users or workloads can execute locally on exposed hosts.
Check for unusual AF_UNIX socket growth using vendor-approved diagnostics.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
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Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
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