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CVE-2026-23450

9.8 · CRITICAL

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/smc: fix NULL dereference and UAF in smc_tcp_syn_recv_sock() Syzkaller reported a panic in smc_tcp_syn_recv_sock() [1].

Published Apr 3, 2026CWE-416EPSS 0.57%

Overview

CVE-2026-23450 is a critical-severity vulnerability. It was published on April 3, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

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

net/smc: fix NULL dereference and UAF in smc_tcp_syn_recv_sock()

Syzkaller reported a panic in smc_tcp_syn_recv_sock() [1].

smc_tcp_syn_recv_sock() is called in the TCP receive path

(softirq) via icsk_af_ops->syn_recv_sock on the clcsock (TCP

listening socket). It reads sk_user_data to get the smc_sock

pointer. However, when the SMC listen socket is being closed

concurrently, smc_close_active() sets clcsock->sk_user_data

to NULL under sk_callback_lock, and then the smc_sock itself

can be freed via sock_put() in smc_release().

This leads to two issues:

1) NULL pointer dereference: sk_user_data is NULL when

accessed.

2) Use-after-free: sk_user_data is read as non-NULL, but the

smc_sock is freed before its fields (e.g., queued_smc_hs,

ori_af_ops) are accessed.

The race window looks like this (the syzkaller crash [1]

triggers via the SYN cookie path: tcp_get_cookie_sock() ->

smc_tcp_syn_recv_sock(), but the

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-23450?

CVE-2026-23450 is a critical-severity vulnerability. It was published on April 3, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

How severe is CVE-2026-23450?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-23450?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-23450?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-23450 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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