CVE-2026-53009

/// Technical description

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

ice: fix double-free of tx_buf skb

If ice_tso() or ice_tx_csum() fail, the error path in

ice_xmit_frame_ring() frees the skb, but the 'first' tx_buf still points

to it and is marked as valid (ICE_TX_BUF_SKB).

'next_to_use' remains unchanged, so the potential problem will

likely fix itself when the next packet is transmitted and the tx_buf

gets overwritten. But if there is no next packet and the interface is

brought down instead, ice_clean_tx_ring() -> ice_unmap_and_free_tx_buf()

will find the tx_buf and free the skb for the second time.

The fix is to reset the tx_buf type to ICE_TX_BUF_EMPTY in the error

path, so that ice_unmap_and_free_tx_buf().

Move the initialization of 'first' up, to ensure it's already valid in

case we hit the linearization error path.

The bug was spotted by AI while I had it looking for something else.

It also proposed an initial version of the patch.

I reproduced the bug and tested the fix

/// 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.

/// References