CVE-2026-23086: vsock/virtio: cap TX credit to local buffer size
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
vsock/virtio: cap TX credit to local buffer size
The virtio transports derives its TX credit directly from peer_buf_alloc,
which is set from the remote endpoint's SO_VM_SOCKETS_BUFFER_SIZE value.
On the host side this means that the amount of data we are willing to
queue for a connection is scaled by a guest-chosen buffer size, rather
than the host's own vsock configuration. A malicious guest can advertise
a large buffer and read slowly, causing the host to allocate a
correspondingly large amount of sk_buff memory.
The same thing would happen in the guest with a malicious host, since
virtio transports share the same code base.
Introduce a small helper, virtio_transport_tx_buf_size(), that
returns min(peer_buf_alloc, buf_alloc), and use it wherever we consume
peer_buf_alloc.
This ensures the effective TX window is bounded by both the peer's
advertised buffer and our own buf_alloc (already clamped to
buffer_max_size via SO_VM_SOCKETS_BUFFER_MAX_SIZE), so a remote peer
cannot force the other to queue more data than allowed by its own
vsock settings.
On an unpatched Ubuntu 22.04 host (~64 GiB RAM), running a PoC with
32 guest vsock connections advertising 2 GiB each and reading slowly
drove Slab/SUnreclaim from ~0.5 GiB to ~57 GiB; the system only
recovered after killing the QEMU process. That said, if QEMU memory is
limited with cgroups, the maximum memory used will be limited.
With this patch applied:
Before:
MemFree: ~61.6 GiB
Slab: ~142 MiB
SUnreclaim: ~117 MiB
After 32 high-credit connections:
MemFree: ~61.5 GiB
Slab: ~178 MiB
SUnreclaim: ~152 MiB
Only ~35 MiB increase in Slab/SUnreclaim, no host OOM, and the guest
remains responsive.
Compatibility with non-virtio transports:
- VMCI uses the AF_VSOCK buffer knobs to size its queue pairs per
socket based on the local vsk->buffer_* values; the remote side
cannot enlarge those queues beyond what the local endpoint
configured.
- Hyper-V's vsock transport uses fixed-size VMBus ring buffers and
an MTU bound; there is no peer-controlled credit field comparable
to peer_buf_alloc, and the remote endpoint cannot drive in-flight
kernel memory above those ring sizes.
- The loopback path reuses virtio_transport_common.c, so it
naturally follows the same semantics as the virtio transport.
This change is limited to virtio_transport_common.c and thus affects
virtio-vsock, vhost-vsock, and loopback, bringing them in line with the
"remote window intersected with local policy" behaviour that VMCI and
Hyper-V already effectively have.
[Stefano: small adjustments after changing the previous patch]
[Stefano: tweak the commit message]
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-23086 is a Linux kernel vsock memory-exhaustion flaw. A malicious VM peer can advertise an oversized buffer and read slowly, making the other side queue excessive kernel memory. The documented impact is denial of service, including host memory pressure or OOM in virtio-vsock environments.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for virtualization platforms that run untrusted guests. The likely impact is availability loss, not data theft, but the source shows severe host memory exhaustion on an unpatched system.
Technical view
The virtio vsock transport derived TX credit from peer_buf_alloc, which is controlled by the remote endpoint's SO_VM_SOCKETS_BUFFER_SIZE. The fix caps effective TX credit at min(peer_buf_alloc, local buf_alloc), aligning virtio-vsock, vhost-vsock, and loopback behavior with local buffer policy.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Linux hosts or guests using virtio-vsock, vhost-vsock, or loopback vsock paths. Multi-tenant virtualization and untrusted guest workloads face the highest business risk. The source says VMCI and Hyper-V do not have the same peer-controlled credit behavior.
Exploitation context
The source describes a PoC on Ubuntu 22.04 where 32 guest vsock connections drove unreclaimable slab memory from about 0.5 GiB to 57 GiB. KEV is false, and the bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
The vulnerability is a resource-accounting failure across the vsock peer boundary. The patch constrains transmit credit by local policy. Evidence is strong for denial of service in virtio-related transports, but the bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, or active exploitation confirmation.
Mitigation direction
Apply Linux kernel stable fixes from the referenced upstream commits or vendor packages.
Prioritize hosts running untrusted or tenant-controlled guest VMs with vsock enabled.
Use cgroups or equivalent limits for QEMU memory where supported.
Check vendor advisories, including Siemens guidance, for product-specific update instructions.
If patching is delayed, review whether vsock exposure is required for affected guests.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux kernels on virtualization hosts and guest images.
Identify use of virtio-vsock, vhost-vsock, or loopback vsock paths.
Map installed kernels to vendor-fixed releases or the referenced stable commits.
Monitor host slab and SUnreclaim memory during VM workloads.
Confirm QEMU or VM process memory limits where operationally appropriate.
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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