{"api_version":"1","generated_at":"2026-08-28T00:37:40+00:00","cve":"CVE-2026-80521","urls":{"html":"https://cve.report/CVE-2026-80521","api":"https://cve.report/api/cve/CVE-2026-80521.json","docs":"https://cve.report/api","cve_org":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80521","nvd":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80521"},"summary":{"title":"af_unix: Unlink scc_entry in unix_del_edge().","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\naf_unix: Unlink scc_entry in unix_del_edge().\n\nKyle Zeng reported that GC could free a dead SCC partially.\n\nThe scenario is as follows:\n\n   1) Create two SCCs:\n\n       X -.   A <-> B\n       ^--'\n\n   2) Run the following concurrently:\n\n      2-1) send() sk-B to sk-B from sk-X\n      2-2) close() both A and B\n\nAt 2-1), there is a small window where unix_add_edges()\npublishes a new edge (B <-> B) to GC but its skb is not queued\nby skb_queue_tail().\n\nIf 2-2) completes before skb_queue_tail() and GC is triggered,\nit judges A <-> B as dead, but B is not freed because GC cannot\ncollect the not-yet-queued skb holding the B <-> B edge.\n\n       X -.   A <-> B -. This edge is visible\n       ^--'         ^..'  but skb is not\n\nThis itself is not a problem since the next GC run will judge\nB as dead as well and free it finally.\n\n       X -.   A <.> B -.\n       ^--'         ^--'\n\nHowever, X's SCC forces the next GC to call unix_walk_scc_fast(),\nand it iterates over A through B's scc_entry.\n\nLet's unlink scc_entry before freeing the vertex in unix_del_edge().","state":"PUBLISHED","assigner":"Linux","published_at":"2026-08-26 15:17:05","updated_at":"2026-08-27 06:17:30"},"problem_types":[],"metrics":[{"version":"3.1","source":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","type":"Secondary","score":"7.8","severity":"HIGH","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","data":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","attackVector":"LOCAL","attackComplexity":"LOW","privilegesRequired":"LOW","userInteraction":"NONE","scope":"UNCHANGED","confidentialityImpact":"HIGH","integrityImpact":"HIGH","availabilityImpact":"HIGH"}},{"version":"3.1","source":"CNA","type":"DECLARED","score":"7.8","severity":"HIGH","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","data":{"baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","version":"3.1"}}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e3702470ced94fad74d71e2232f022d2eb752a6d","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e3702470ced94fad74d71e2232f022d2eb752a6d","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/594d905195024b228c962627ae5ae7c17bd582a4","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/594d905195024b228c962627ae5ae7c17bd582a4","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80521","name":"CVE Program record","refsource":"CVE.ORG","tags":["canonical"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80521","name":"NVD vulnerability detail","refsource":"NVD","tags":["canonical","analysis"]}],"affected":[{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959 e3702470ced94fad74d71e2232f022d2eb752a6d git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959 594d905195024b228c962627ae5ae7c17bd582a4 git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 5dfd283f4651d04dbb70ceb9ae5c4a30eda3c52a git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected de7921631ff323369aa63a4324695ab54ea4047e git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 6.1.141 6.2 semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 6.6.93 6.7 semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 6.10","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 6.10 semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 7.1.10 7.1.* semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 7.2 * original_commit_for_fix","platforms":[]}],"timeline":[],"solutions":[],"workarounds":[],"exploits":[],"credits":[],"nvd_cpes":[],"vendor_comments":[],"enrichments":{"kev":null,"epss":{"cve_year":"2026","cve_id":"80521","cve":"CVE-2026-80521","epss":"0.001200000","percentile":"0.020710000","score_date":"2026-08-27","updated_at":"2026-08-28 00:03:39"},"legacy_qids":[]},"source_records":{"cve_program":{"containers":{"cna":{"affected":[{"defaultStatus":"unaffected","product":"Linux","programFiles":["net/unix/garbage.c"],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","vendor":"Linux","versions":[{"lessThan":"e3702470ced94fad74d71e2232f022d2eb752a6d","status":"affected","version":"4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"594d905195024b228c962627ae5ae7c17bd582a4","status":"affected","version":"4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959","versionType":"git"},{"status":"affected","version":"5dfd283f4651d04dbb70ceb9ae5c4a30eda3c52a","versionType":"git"},{"status":"affected","version":"de7921631ff323369aa63a4324695ab54ea4047e","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"6.2","status":"affected","version":"6.1.141","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThan":"6.7","status":"affected","version":"6.6.93","versionType":"semver"}]},{"defaultStatus":"affected","product":"Linux","programFiles":["net/unix/garbage.c"],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","vendor":"Linux","versions":[{"status":"affected","version":"6.10"},{"lessThan":"6.10","status":"unaffected","version":"0","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"7.1.*","status":"unaffected","version":"7.1.10","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"*","status":"unaffected","version":"7.2","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}]}],"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"cpeMatch":[{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"7.1.10","versionStartIncluding":"6.10","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"7.2","versionStartIncluding":"6.10","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"6.1.141","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"6.6.93","vulnerable":true}],"negate":false,"operator":"OR"}]}],"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\naf_unix: Unlink scc_entry in unix_del_edge().\n\nKyle Zeng reported that GC could free a dead SCC partially.\n\nThe scenario is as follows:\n\n   1) Create two SCCs:\n\n       X -.   A <-> B\n       ^--'\n\n   2) Run the following concurrently:\n\n      2-1) send() sk-B to sk-B from sk-X\n      2-2) close() both A and B\n\nAt 2-1), there is a small window where unix_add_edges()\npublishes a new edge (B <-> B) to GC but its skb is not queued\nby skb_queue_tail().\n\nIf 2-2) completes before skb_queue_tail() and GC is triggered,\nit judges A <-> B as dead, but B is not freed because GC cannot\ncollect the not-yet-queued skb holding the B <-> B edge.\n\n       X -.   A <-> B -. This edge is visible\n       ^--'         ^..'  but skb is not\n\nThis itself is not a problem since the next GC run will judge\nB as dead as well and free it finally.\n\n       X -.   A <.> B -.\n       ^--'         ^--'\n\nHowever, X's SCC forces the next GC to call unix_walk_scc_fast(),\nand it iterates over A through B's scc_entry.\n\nLet's unlink scc_entry before freeing the vertex in unix_del_edge()."}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","version":"3.1"},"scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"AV:L - The bug is only reachable through local AF_UNIX syscalls (socket/sendmsg with SCM_RIGHTS and close) that drive unix_add_edges(), unix_del_edge(), and unix_gc(); AF_UNIX is host-local IPC with no remote packet, Bluetooth, WiFi, or physical bus entry path.\nAC:L - Exploitation requires racing sendmsg() (scm_stat_add/unix_add_edges before skb_queue_tail) against concurrent close() that triggers GC; the attacker controls both threads, can pin CPUs, and can retry until the window is hit, so success does not depend on conditions outside attacker control.\nPR:L - An unprivileged local user can create AF_UNIX sockets, pass socket file descriptors via SCM_RIGHTS to form inflight reference cycles, and close sockets to schedule unix_gc(); no real-root capabilities, special namespaces, or non-default kernel configuration are required.\nUI:N - The attacker sets up the cyclic inflight graph, performs the concurrent self-send and close operations, and forces garbage collection from its own processes; no separate victim user action or cooperating peer is needed beyond the attacker's own sockets.\nS:U - The use-after-free corrupts kernel heap/list state during AF_UNIX garbage collection within the same kernel security authority; exploitation yields standard local privilege escalation rather than crossing a VM, IOMMU, or inter-tenant sandbox boundary.\nC:H - Freed struct unix_vertex objects remain linked through stale scc_entry; unix_walk_scc_fast(), unix_scc_dead(), and unix_collect_skb() dereference freed vertex->edges and predecessor socket receive queues, giving a slab UAF read primitive controllable through heap grooming.\nI:H - The same UAF enables reclaiming freed vertices and influencing GC list iteration and skb_queue_splice_init() during unix_collect_skb(), providing memory corruption primitives suitable for arbitrary kernel writes, control-flow hijack, and local privilege escalation.\nA:H - Iterating or collecting through a freed vertex reliably triggers kernel oops/panic (KASAN slab-use-after-free), and corrupt GC graph state can crash the host or deny service to local workloads even when full exploitation is not attempted."}]}],"providerMetadata":{"dateUpdated":"2026-08-27T05:01:17.707Z","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux"},"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e3702470ced94fad74d71e2232f022d2eb752a6d"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/594d905195024b228c962627ae5ae7c17bd582a4"}],"title":"af_unix: Unlink scc_entry in unix_del_edge().","x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}},"cveMetadata":{"assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","assignerShortName":"Linux","cveId":"CVE-2026-80521","datePublished":"2026-08-26T14:37:02.589Z","dateReserved":"2026-08-26T14:34:25.763Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-27T05:01:17.707Z","state":"PUBLISHED"},"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2"},"nvd":{"publishedDate":"2026-08-26 15:17:05","lastModifiedDate":"2026-08-27 06:17:30","problem_types":[],"metrics":{"cvssMetricV31":[{"source":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","type":"Secondary","cvssData":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","attackVector":"LOCAL","attackComplexity":"LOW","privilegesRequired":"LOW","userInteraction":"NONE","scope":"UNCHANGED","confidentialityImpact":"HIGH","integrityImpact":"HIGH","availabilityImpact":"HIGH"},"exploitabilityScore":1.8,"impactScore":5.9}]},"configurations":[]},"legacy_mitre":{"record":{"CveYear":"2026","CveId":"80521","Ordinal":"1","Title":"af_unix: Unlink scc_entry in unix_del_edge().","CVE":"CVE-2026-80521","Year":"2026"},"notes":[{"CveYear":"2026","CveId":"80521","Ordinal":"1","NoteData":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\naf_unix: Unlink scc_entry in unix_del_edge().\n\nKyle Zeng reported that GC could free a dead SCC partially.\n\nThe scenario is as follows:\n\n   1) Create two SCCs:\n\n       X -.   A <-> B\n       ^--'\n\n   2) Run the following concurrently:\n\n      2-1) send() sk-B to sk-B from sk-X\n      2-2) close() both A and B\n\nAt 2-1), there is a small window where unix_add_edges()\npublishes a new edge (B <-> B) to GC but its skb is not queued\nby skb_queue_tail().\n\nIf 2-2) completes before skb_queue_tail() and GC is triggered,\nit judges A <-> B as dead, but B is not freed because GC cannot\ncollect the not-yet-queued skb holding the B <-> B edge.\n\n       X -.   A <-> B -. This edge is visible\n       ^--'         ^..'  but skb is not\n\nThis itself is not a problem since the next GC run will judge\nB as dead as well and free it finally.\n\n       X -.   A <.> B -.\n       ^--'         ^--'\n\nHowever, X's SCC forces the next GC to call unix_walk_scc_fast(),\nand it iterates over A through B's scc_entry.\n\nLet's unlink scc_entry before freeing the vertex in unix_del_edge().","Type":"Description","Title":"af_unix: Unlink scc_entry in unix_del_edge()."}]}}}