HIGH
tcp Listener Race
CVE-2026-46015
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
KernelScan AI7.5HIGH
01Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tcp: call sk_data_ready() after listener migration When inet_csk_listen_stop() migrates an established child socket from a closing listener to another socket in the same SO_REUSEPORT group, the target listener gets a new accept-queue entry via inet_csk_reqsk_queue_add(), but that path never notifies the target listener's waiters. A nonblocking accept() still works because it checks the queue directly, but poll()/epoll_wait() waiters and blocking accept() callers can also remain asleep indefinitely. Call READ_ONCE(nsk->sk_data_ready)(nsk) after a successful migration in inet_csk_listen_stop(). However, after inet_csk_reqsk_queue_add() succeeds, the ref acquired in reuseport_migrate_sock() is effectively transferred to nreq->rsk_listener. Another CPU can then dequeue nreq via accept() or listener shutdown, hit reqsk_put(), and drop that listener ref. Since listeners are SOCK_RCU_FREE, wrap the post-queue_add() dereferences of nsk in rcu_read_lock()/rcu_read_unlock(), which also covers the existing sock_net(nsk) access in that path. The reqsk_timer_handler() path does not need the same changes for two reasons: half-open requests become readable only after the final ACK, where tcp_child_process() already wakes the listener; and once nreq is visible via inet_ehash_insert(), the success path no longer touches nsk directly.
02KernelScan AI Analysis
Risk summary
Applications using SO_REUSEPORT TCP listeners can experience indefinite blocking in accept() calls or poll/epoll operations when listener sockets are closed and migrated under connection load. This affects server applications that rely on these mechanisms for connection handling, potentially causing complete service unavailability. A remote attacker can trigger this by connecting to the service during listener migration, causing blocking waiters to remain asleep indefinitely even though connections are available in the accept queue.
Vulnerability analysis
The vulnerability is a race condition in TCP listener migration during socket closure. When inet_csk_listen_stop() migrates established child sockets from a closing listener to another socket in the same SO_REUSEPORT group, it adds the socket to the target listener's accept queue via inet_csk_reqsk_queue_add() but fails to notify waiters via sk_data_ready(). This causes blocking accept() calls and poll/epoll waiters to remain indefinitely blocked even though connections are available. The fix adds the missing sk_data_ready() notification and wraps the operation in RCU protection to prevent use-after-free of the target listener socket that could be freed by concurrent operations. The second issue (RCU protection) addresses a potential use-after-free race where another CPU could dequeue the request and drop the listener reference before the sk_data_ready() call completes.
03Fix Versions
| Branch | Fixed in | Patch commit |
|---|---|---|
| 5.15 | 5.15.209 | 7aa7933a5607 |
| 6.1 | 6.1.175 | 14e9bb6eba8f |
| 6.12 | 6.12.86 | bebd058ef40c |
| 6.18 | 6.18.27 | 83bb57635d7c |
| 6.6 | 6.6.140 | ab5fdcd53564 |
| 7.0 | 7.0.4 | 12625b4da84c |
| mainline | 7.1-rc1 | 3864c6ba1e04 |