Published: April 25, 2026 | Last Modified: April 25, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ipv6: flowlabel: defer exclusive option free until RCU teardown `ip6fl_seq_show()` walks the global flowlabel hash under the seq-file RCU read-side lock and prints `fl->opt->opt_nflen` when an option block is present. Exclusive flowlabels currently free `fl->opt` as soon as `fl->users` drops to zero in `fl_release()`. However, the surrounding `struct ip6_flowlabel` remains visible in the global hash table until later garbage collection removes it and `fl_free_rcu()` finally tears it down. A concurrent `/proc/net/ip6_flowlabel` reader can therefore race that early `kfree()` and dereference freed option state, triggering a crash in `ip6fl_seq_show()`. Fix this by keeping `fl->opt` alive until `fl_free_rcu()`. That matches the lifetime already required for the enclosing flowlabel while readers can still reach it under RCU.
This analysis is generated by Ghostwire from NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS, and open-source intelligence data. Verify findings through primary sources before acting.