netfilter: nft_flow_offload: drop flowtable reference on init error path

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2026-98851
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerLinux
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-10-18 16:17:39 UTC
Updated2026-10-21 13:21:49 UTC
DescriptionIn 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.

Risk And Classification

EPSS: 0.001570000 probability, percentile 0.044450000 (date 2026-10-21)

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Linux Linux affected a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 1d27214fd9a4d2c0c6d998fc9d4fb61448a3438e git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 64ac0cb574c740bf723affb79b646eeba920db6b git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 c5f91098edee98c015f78488460a0609e62582a5 git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 4cd378423a33194a773c267fc58606d28fce95cf git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected a3c90f7a2323b331ae816d5b0633e68148e25d04 747928b5d4ff8c8de55138a54c13980e4bb88578 git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected 4.16 Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 4.16 semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.6.160 6.6.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.12.113 6.12.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.18.56 6.18.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 7.2.10 7.2.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 7.3 * original_commit_for_fix Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
git.kernel.org/stable/c/4cd378423a33194a773c267fc58606d28fce95cf 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/64ac0cb574c740bf723affb79b646eeba920db6b 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d27214fd9a4d2c0c6d998fc9d4fb61448a3438e 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/747928b5d4ff8c8de55138a54c13980e4bb88578 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/c5f91098edee98c015f78488460a0609e62582a5 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
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