Vulnerability in Linux

CVE-2026-43451

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nfnetlink_queue: fix entry leak in bridge verdict error path nfqnl_recv_verdict() calls find_dequeue_entry() to remove the queue entry from the queue data structures, taking ownership of the entry. For PF_BRIDGE packets, it then calls nfqa_parse_bridge() to parse VLAN attributes. If nfqa_parse_bridge() returns an error (e.g. NFQA_VLAN present but NFQA_VLAN_TCI missing), the function returns immediately without freeing the dequeued entry or its sk_buff. This leaks the nf_queue_entry, its associated sk_buff, and all held references (net_device refcounts, struct net refcount). Repeated triggering exhausts kernel memory. Fix this by dropping the entry via nfqnl_reinject() with NF_DROP verdict on the error path, consistent with other error handling in this file.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (4.8th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 4.8% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-43451: held from 0.001 to 0.002.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 8d45ff22f1b43249f0cf1baafe0262ca10d1666e, 4.7, 0
  • Linux Kernel — versions 7.0

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-43451?
CVE-2026-43451 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-05-08.
How severe is CVE-2026-43451?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.