Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
inet: frags: flush pending skbs in fqdir_pre_exit()
We have been seeing occasional deadlocks on pernet_ops_rwsem since
September in NIPA. The stuck task was usually modprobe (often loading
a driver like ipvlan), trying to take the lock as a Writer.
lockdep does not track readers for rwsems so the read wasn't obvious
from the reports.
On closer inspection the Reader holding the lock was conntrack looping
forever in nf_conntrack_cleanup_net_list(). Based on past experience
with occasional NIPA crashes I looked thru the tests which run before
the crash and noticed that the crash follows ip_defrag.sh. An immediate
red flag. Scouring thru (de)fragmentation queues reveals skbs sitting
around, holding conntrack references.
The problem is that since conntrack depends on nf_defrag_ipv6,
nf_defrag_ipv6 will load first. Since nf_defrag_ipv6 loads first its
netns exit hooks run _after_ conntrack's netns exit hook.
Flush all fragment queue SKBs during fqdir_pre_exit() to release
conntrack references before conntrack cleanup runs. Also flush
the queues in timer expiry handlers when they discover fqdir->dead
is set, in case packet sneaks in while we're running the pre_exit
flush.
The commit under Fixes is not exactly the culprit, but I think
previously the timer firing would eventually unblock the spinning
conntrack.
inet: frags: flush pending skbs in fqdir_pre_exit()
We have been seeing occasional deadlocks on pernet_ops_rwsem since
September in NIPA. The stuck task was usually modprobe (often loading
a driver like ipvlan), trying to take the lock as a Writer.
lockdep does not track readers for rwsems so the read wasn't obvious
from the reports.
On closer inspection the Reader holding the lock was conntrack looping
forever in nf_conntrack_cleanup_net_list(). Based on past experience
with occasional NIPA crashes I looked thru the tests which run before
the crash and noticed that the crash follows ip_defrag.sh. An immediate
red flag. Scouring thru (de)fragmentation queues reveals skbs sitting
around, holding conntrack references.
The problem is that since conntrack depends on nf_defrag_ipv6,
nf_defrag_ipv6 will load first. Since nf_defrag_ipv6 loads first its
netns exit hooks run _after_ conntrack's netns exit hook.
Flush all fragment queue SKBs during fqdir_pre_exit() to release
conntrack references before conntrack cleanup runs. Also flush
the queues in timer expiry handlers when they discover fqdir->dead
is set, in case packet sneaks in while we're running the pre_exit
flush.
The commit under Fixes is not exactly the culprit, but I think
previously the timer firing would eventually unblock the spinning
conntrack.
Analysis
No analysis available yet.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
No data available yet.
Remediation
No remediation available yet.
Tracking
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Advisories
No advisories yet.
References
History
Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
threat_severity
|
cvssV3_1
|
Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inet: frags: flush pending skbs in fqdir_pre_exit() We have been seeing occasional deadlocks on pernet_ops_rwsem since September in NIPA. The stuck task was usually modprobe (often loading a driver like ipvlan), trying to take the lock as a Writer. lockdep does not track readers for rwsems so the read wasn't obvious from the reports. On closer inspection the Reader holding the lock was conntrack looping forever in nf_conntrack_cleanup_net_list(). Based on past experience with occasional NIPA crashes I looked thru the tests which run before the crash and noticed that the crash follows ip_defrag.sh. An immediate red flag. Scouring thru (de)fragmentation queues reveals skbs sitting around, holding conntrack references. The problem is that since conntrack depends on nf_defrag_ipv6, nf_defrag_ipv6 will load first. Since nf_defrag_ipv6 loads first its netns exit hooks run _after_ conntrack's netns exit hook. Flush all fragment queue SKBs during fqdir_pre_exit() to release conntrack references before conntrack cleanup runs. Also flush the queues in timer expiry handlers when they discover fqdir->dead is set, in case packet sneaks in while we're running the pre_exit flush. The commit under Fixes is not exactly the culprit, but I think previously the timer firing would eventually unblock the spinning conntrack. | |
| Title | inet: frags: flush pending skbs in fqdir_pre_exit() | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-02-09T08:33:13.157Z
Reserved: 2025-12-24T10:30:51.034Z
Link: CVE-2025-68768
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Awaiting Analysis
Published: 2026-01-13T16:15:56.247
Modified: 2026-01-14T16:26:00.933
Link: CVE-2025-68768
Redhat
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.