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CVE-2026-64459

9.8 · CRITICAL

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tcp: restore RCU grace period in tcp_ao_destroy_sock Commit 51e547e8c89c ("tcp: Free TCP-AO/TCP-MD5 info/keys without RCU") rem…

Published Jul 25, 2026EPSS 0.65%

Overview

CVE-2026-64459 is a critical-severity vulnerability. It was published on July 25, 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:

tcp: restore RCU grace period in tcp_ao_destroy_sock

Commit 51e547e8c89c ("tcp: Free TCP-AO/TCP-MD5 info/keys without RCU")

removed the call_rcu() callback from tcp_ao_destroy_sock(), arguing that

"the destruction of info/keys is delayed until the socket destructor"

and therefore "no one can discover it anymore".

That argument does not hold for the call site in tcp_connect()

(net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:4327-4332). At that point the socket is in

TCP_SYN_SENT, has already been inserted into the inet ehash by

inet_hash_connect() in tcp_v4_connect(), and is therefore very much

discoverable: any softirq running tcp_v4_rcv() on another CPU can take

the socket out of the ehash, walk into tcp_inbound_hash(), and load

tp->ao_info via implicit RCU before bh_lock_sock_nested() is taken on

the destroying CPU.

The reader path then enters __tcp_ao_do_lookup() (net/ipv4/tcp_ao.c:208)

which re-loads tp->ao_info via rcu_dereference_chec

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-2026-64459?

CVE-2026-64459 is a critical-severity vulnerability. It was published on July 25, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

How severe is CVE-2026-64459?

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-2026-64459?

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-2026-64459?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-64459 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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