Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

slip: fix use-after-free in sl_sync()

slip_devs[] stores bare net_device pointers and takes no reference on
them. sl_sync() and sl_alloc() walk that table from slip_open() under
rtnl_lock(), while an entry is dropped by sl_free_netdev(), which
sl_setup() installs as dev->priv_destructor.

priv_destructor is called from netdev_run_todo(), which deliberately
runs with the RTNL semaphore released so that it can sleep while waiting
for the device refcount to drop:

/* Snapshot list, allow later requests */
list_replace_init(&net_todo_list, &list);

__rtnl_unlock();
...
if (dev->priv_destructor)
dev->priv_destructor(dev); /* slip_devs[i] = NULL */
if (dev->needs_free_netdev)
free_netdev(dev);
...
/* Free network device */
kobject_put(&dev->dev.kobj);

So rtnl_lock() does not serialise slip_open() against the teardown at
all. sl_sync() can load slip_devs[i] while the entry is still published
and dereference it after netdev_run_todo() has run the destructor and
released the device:

CPU0 (slip_open) CPU1 (slip_close)
unregister_netdev()
rtnl_unlock()
netdev_run_todo()
__rtnl_unlock()
rtnl_lock()
sl_sync()
dev = slip_devs[i]
priv_destructor(dev)
slip_devs[i] = NULL
kobject_put(&dev->dev.kobj)
/* dev is freed */
sl = netdev_priv(dev)
if (sl->tty || sl->leased) /* use-after-free */

BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in sl_sync drivers/net/slip/slip.c:730 [inline]
BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in slip_open+0xef4/0x1210 drivers/net/slip/slip.c:806
Read of size 1 at addr ffff8880712dac71 by task syz-executor.2/6506

CPU: 2 PID: 6506 Comm: syz-executor.2 Not tainted 6.1.134-syzkaller-00260-g0c8fc3469765 #0
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.12.0-1 04/01/2014
Call Trace:
sl_sync drivers/net/slip/slip.c:730 [inline]
slip_open+0xef4/0x1210 drivers/net/slip/slip.c:806
tty_ldisc_open+0xa2/0x120 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:433
tty_set_ldisc+0x324/0x720 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:564
tiocsetd drivers/tty/tty_io.c:2428 [inline]
tty_ioctl+0x5f0/0x1530 drivers/tty/tty_io.c:2712

Allocated by task 6502:
alloc_netdev_mqs+0x98/0xfe0 net/core/dev.c:10719
sl_alloc drivers/net/slip/slip.c:756 [inline]
slip_open+0x36d/0x1210 drivers/net/slip/slip.c:817
tty_ldisc_open+0xa2/0x120 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:433
tty_set_ldisc+0x324/0x720 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:564

Freed by task 6497:
device_release+0xa2/0x240 drivers/base/core.c:2507
kobject_put+0x179/0x280 lib/kobject.c:729
netdev_run_todo+0x6c8/0xef0 net/core/dev.c:10509
slip_close+0x166/0x1c0 drivers/net/slip/slip.c:906
tty_ldisc_close+0x113/0x1a0 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:456
tty_ldisc_kill+0x94/0x160 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:614
tty_ldisc_release+0xe3/0x2b0 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:782
tty_release+0xbcc/0xe70 drivers/tty/tty_io.c:1860

Commit e58c19124189 ("slip: Fix use-after-free Read in slip_open") fixed
a different source of stale entries - a device left in slip_devs[] after
slip_open() freed it on the registration error path - and does not
address this race, which is why the report survives it.

Drop the entry from ndo_uninit instead. unregister_netdevice() calls
ndo_uninit under RTNL, before the device is queued to netdev_run_todo(),
so an entry that sl_sync() can still see while holding RTNL belongs to a
device that cannot be freed until RTNL is dropped. sl_free_netdev()
stays only for the slip_open() error path, where register_netdevice()
may have failed before ndo_init and ndo_uninit is then not called
either. Both running for the same device is harmless: the
---truncated---
Published: 2026-09-11
Score: 7.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Denial of Service (kernel crash)
Action: Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

A race condition in the Linux slip network driver allows the driver to dereference a net_device pointer that has already been freed during a concurrent device teardown. The dereference(), causing a use‑after‑free that leads to a kernel panic and loss of service. The vulnerability does not provide direct privilege escalation; it simply destabilises the kernel on the affected system.

Affected Systems

All Linux kernel releases that include the slip driver before the application of the fix are vulnerable. The CPE identifier cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:* specifies the entire family of Linux kernel binaries; any build that carries the unpatched slip driver should be considered affected.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 4.7 indicates moderate severity. No EPSS data is available, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, suggesting there are no known public exploits. Explo with the slip device or have the ability to load/unload modules, implying that privilege escalation to at least the capability to load the driver is needed. The risk of exploitation is therefore considered low, but the impact of a successful exploit is high due to the loss of kernel stability and potential downtime.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 12, 2026 at 03:13 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Apply a kernel update that includes the slip use‑after‑free fix (the commit identified by e58c19124189 and subsequent patches).
  • If an immediate update is not possible, unload or disable the slip kernel module (e.g., "modprobe -r slip") and remove any boot entries that load it.
  • For environments where the slip driver is not required, compile the kernel without the slip driver to eliminate the vulnerability entirely.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 12, 2026 at 03:13 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 4.7, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

 cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-825
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

 cvssV3_1

{'score': 4.7, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Important

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 23:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: slip: fix use-after-free in sl_sync() slip_devs[] stores bare net_device pointers and takes no reference on them. sl_sync() and sl_alloc() walk that table from slip_open() under rtnl_lock(), while an entry is dropped by sl_free_netdev(), which sl_setup() installs as dev->priv_destructor. priv_destructor is called from netdev_run_todo(), which deliberately runs with the RTNL semaphore released so that it can sleep while waiting for the device refcount to drop: /* Snapshot list, allow later requests */ list_replace_init(&net_todo_list, &list); __rtnl_unlock(); ... if (dev->priv_destructor) dev->priv_destructor(dev); /* slip_devs[i] = NULL */ if (dev->needs_free_netdev) free_netdev(dev); ... /* Free network device */ kobject_put(&dev->dev.kobj); So rtnl_lock() does not serialise slip_open() against the teardown at all. sl_sync() can load slip_devs[i] while the entry is still published and dereference it after netdev_run_todo() has run the destructor and released the device: CPU0 (slip_open) CPU1 (slip_close) unregister_netdev() rtnl_unlock() netdev_run_todo() __rtnl_unlock() rtnl_lock() sl_sync() dev = slip_devs[i] priv_destructor(dev) slip_devs[i] = NULL kobject_put(&dev->dev.kobj) /* dev is freed */ sl = netdev_priv(dev) if (sl->tty || sl->leased) /* use-after-free */ BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in sl_sync drivers/net/slip/slip.c:730 [inline] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in slip_open+0xef4/0x1210 drivers/net/slip/slip.c:806 Read of size 1 at addr ffff8880712dac71 by task syz-executor.2/6506 CPU: 2 PID: 6506 Comm: syz-executor.2 Not tainted 6.1.134-syzkaller-00260-g0c8fc3469765 #0 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.12.0-1 04/01/2014 Call Trace: sl_sync drivers/net/slip/slip.c:730 [inline] slip_open+0xef4/0x1210 drivers/net/slip/slip.c:806 tty_ldisc_open+0xa2/0x120 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:433 tty_set_ldisc+0x324/0x720 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:564 tiocsetd drivers/tty/tty_io.c:2428 [inline] tty_ioctl+0x5f0/0x1530 drivers/tty/tty_io.c:2712 Allocated by task 6502: alloc_netdev_mqs+0x98/0xfe0 net/core/dev.c:10719 sl_alloc drivers/net/slip/slip.c:756 [inline] slip_open+0x36d/0x1210 drivers/net/slip/slip.c:817 tty_ldisc_open+0xa2/0x120 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:433 tty_set_ldisc+0x324/0x720 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:564 Freed by task 6497: device_release+0xa2/0x240 drivers/base/core.c:2507 kobject_put+0x179/0x280 lib/kobject.c:729 netdev_run_todo+0x6c8/0xef0 net/core/dev.c:10509 slip_close+0x166/0x1c0 drivers/net/slip/slip.c:906 tty_ldisc_close+0x113/0x1a0 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:456 tty_ldisc_kill+0x94/0x160 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:614 tty_ldisc_release+0xe3/0x2b0 drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c:782 tty_release+0xbcc/0xe70 drivers/tty/tty_io.c:1860 Commit e58c19124189 ("slip: Fix use-after-free Read in slip_open") fixed a different source of stale entries - a device left in slip_devs[] after slip_open() freed it on the registration error path - and does not address this race, which is why the report survives it. Drop the entry from ndo_uninit instead. unregister_netdevice() calls ndo_uninit under RTNL, before the device is queued to netdev_run_todo(), so an entry that sl_sync() can still see while holding RTNL belongs to a device that cannot be freed until RTNL is dropped. sl_free_netdev() stays only for the slip_open() error path, where register_netdevice() may have failed before ndo_init and ndo_uninit is then not called either. Both running for the same device is harmless: the ---truncated---
Title slip: fix use-after-free in sl_sync()
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References

Subscriptions

Linux Linux Kernel
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-13T06:29:03.750Z

Reserved: 2026-08-26T14:34:25.812Z

Link: CVE-2026-81001

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-09-11T20:19:08.160

Modified: 2026-09-13T07:17:06.723

Link: CVE-2026-81001

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Important

Publid Date: 2026-09-11T19:42:54Z

Links: CVE-2026-81001 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-12T03:15:06Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-825

    Expired Pointer Dereference