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CVE-2026-98851

netfilter: nft_flow_offload: drop flowtable reference on init error path

Products / packages Linux

Published

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Severity and exploitation

Not in CISA KEVNo CVSS score

KEV coverage does not rule out exploitation.

KEV checked 14/11/2026, 23:35:33 UTC

Severity

unknown

CVSS measures technical severity, not the likelihood of an attack.

Known exploitation

Not listed in the checked CISA KEV catalog

Absence from CISA KEV does not rule out attacks.

Public exploit

Not established by this record

Missing evidence does not mean no public exploit exists.

Remediation

Fix status not established

No structured fix or guidance is available here. Check the latest publisher advisory.

What this means

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

Source excerpt · Linux

Attack conditions

No attack-condition excerpt has been identified here. Review the full source description and references for authentication, network access, and configuration requirements.

Review supporting sources →

Affected versions

Check the exact model, release, and any platform requirements against your installation.

Linux · Linux

Linux

8 ranges
Linux version evidence

Compare with this publisher’s ranges. This does not inspect your installation.

affected

a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 → before 4e5a6d89083af6f23f0ac2cb611ef267590a3ece

git versions

a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 → before 1f43b6b099fa39032780b9494cedfd98f318f3c4

git versions

a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 → before 87f4914758f2da10b56cdb7f90ed815ade1e8ea3

git versions

a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 → before 1d27214fd9a4d2c0c6d998fc9d4fb61448a3438e

git versions

a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 → before 64ac0cb574c740bf723affb79b646eeba920db6b

git versions

a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 → before c5f91098edee98c015f78488460a0609e62582a5

git versions

a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 → before 4cd378423a33194a773c267fc58606d28fce95cf

git versions

a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 → before 747928b5d4ff8c8de55138a54c13980e4bb88578

git versions

unaffected

unknown

Other versions: unaffected

Linux · Linux

Linux

10 ranges
Linux version evidence

Compare with this publisher’s ranges. This does not inspect your installation.

affected

4.16

unaffected

0 → before 4.16

semver versions

5.10.273 → through 5.10.*

semver versions

5.15.224 → through 5.15.*

semver versions

6.1.191 → through 6.1.*

semver versions

6.6.160 → through 6.6.*

semver versions

6.12.113 → through 6.12.*

semver versions

6.18.56 → through 6.18.*

semver versions

7.2.10 → through 7.2.*

semver versions

7.3 → through *

original_commit_for_fix versions

unknown

Other versions: affected

Automatic dependency matching is unavailable for this record. Use the product evidence and publisher’s instructions to check your installation.

What to do

Compare your installed product and version with the affected versions above. A matching product name alone does not confirm exposure.

No structured fix or remediation guidance is available here. Check the full source description and vendor’s latest advisory for a patch or workaround; do not assume another version is safe.

cve.new guidance unless attributed to a publisher. This page does not inspect your installation.

Public exploit evidence

No public exploit reference is identified in the imported evidence. This is not a claim that no exploit exists.

Original source description

Read the full publisher description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

netfilter: nft_flow_offload: drop flowtable reference on init error path

nft_flow_offload_init() bumps the flowtable use count with nft_use_inc() before calling nf_ct_netns_get(). When the latter fails, the error is returned as-is and the reference is leaked.

The upper layers do not balance it either: nf_tables_newexpr() clears expr->ops when the expression init callback fails, so the nft_expr_more() iteration in nft_rule_expr_deactivate() and nf_tables_rule_destroy() stops right before the failed expression and its ->destroy callback, which would drop the reference, never runs.

Each failed rule addition therefore leaks one flowtable reference and the flowtable can no longer be removed: NFT_MSG_DELFLOWTABLE keeps reporting -EBUSY even though no rule references it.

Save the nf_ct_netns_get() return value and undo the nft_use_inc() when it fails, restoring the inc/dec pairing within nft_flow_offload_init() itself.

References

8 sources
git.kernel.org/stable/c/4e5a6d89083af6f23f0ac2cb611ef267590a3ece
Source referenceLinux
git.kernel.org/stable/c/1f43b6b099fa39032780b9494cedfd98f318f3c4
Source referenceLinux
git.kernel.org/stable/c/87f4914758f2da10b56cdb7f90ed815ade1e8ea3
Source referenceLinux
git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d27214fd9a4d2c0c6d998fc9d4fb61448a3438e
Source referenceLinux
git.kernel.org/stable/c/64ac0cb574c740bf723affb79b646eeba920db6b
Source referenceLinux
git.kernel.org/stable/c/c5f91098edee98c015f78488460a0609e62582a5
Source referenceLinux
View 2 more references
git.kernel.org/stable/c/4cd378423a33194a773c267fc58606d28fce95cf
Source referenceLinux
git.kernel.org/stable/c/747928b5d4ff8c8de55138a54c13980e4bb88578
Source referenceLinux

Inside the record

Evidence available

Package identity · not supplied
Version evidence
Remediation guidance · not supplied
Weakness classification · not supplied
Additional publishers · not supplied

Describes the evidence in this view, not whether the product is safe.

Original records

CVE-2026-98851

View the latest unmodified CVE JSON from the official source. It may be newer than this imported page.

cve.new JSON →

Environment requirements

These conditions apply together as specified by the publisher. A matching product name alone does not establish exposure.

Linux · platform conditions

Any condition may hold

Vulnerable product

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

From (inclusive): 4.16

Before: 5.10.273

Vulnerable product

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

From (inclusive): 4.16

Before: 5.15.224

Vulnerable product

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

From (inclusive): 4.16

Before: 6.1.191

Vulnerable product

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

From (inclusive): 4.16

Before: 6.6.160

Vulnerable product

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

From (inclusive): 4.16

Before: 6.12.113

Vulnerable product

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

From (inclusive): 4.16

Before: 6.18.56

Vulnerable product

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

From (inclusive): 4.16

Before: 7.2.10

Vulnerable product

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

From (inclusive): 4.16

Before: 7.3

Applicability preview
[
  {
    "nodes": [
      {
        "operator": "OR",
        "negate": false,
        "cpeMatch": [
          {
            "vulnerable": true,
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "versionStartIncluding": "4.16",
            "versionEndExcluding": "5.10.273"
          },
          {
            "vulnerable": true,
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "versionStartIncluding": "4.16",
            "versionEndExcluding": "5.15.224"
          },
          {
            "vulnerable": true,
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "versionStartIncluding": "4.16",
            "versionEndExcluding": "6.1.191"
          },
          {
            "vulnerable": true,
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "versionStartIncluding": "4.16",
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          },
          {
            "vulnerable": true,
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "versionStartIncluding": "4.16",
            "versionEndExcluding": "6.12.113"
          },
          {
            "vulnerable": true,
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "versionStartIncluding": "4.16",
            "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.56"
          },
          {
            "vulnerable": true,
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "versionStartIncluding": "4.16",
            "versionEndExcluding": "7.2.10"
          },
          {
            "vulnerable": true,
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "versionStartIncluding": "4.16",
            "versionEndExcluding": "7.3"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
]
Contributing organizations · 1
Linux

Assigning organization

2026-10-30

Timeline

All times UTC

  1. Advisory published

    Publication date supplied by the source.

  2. Source updated

    Latest modification date supplied by the source.

  3. Last imported by cve.new

    Latest catalog import, not the date we first saw this advisory.

What changed

Follow changes
No substantive changes have been recorded here yet. History starts when cve.new observes a change after tracking is enabled; earlier edits are not reconstructed.

Large field values are marked as truncated previews. Original source snapshots remain retained.