CVE-2026-23046
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
virtio_net: fix device mismatch in devm_kzalloc/devm_kfree
Initial rss_hdr allocation uses virtio_device->device, but virtnet_set_queues() frees using net_device->device. This device mismatch causing below devres warning
[ 3788.514041] ------------[ cut here ]------------ [ 3788.514044] WARNING: drivers/base/devres.c:1095 at devm_kfree+0x84/0x98, CPU#16: vdpa/1463 [ 3788.514054] Modules linked in: octep_vdpa virtio_net virtio_vdpa [last unloaded: virtio_vdpa] [ 3788.514064] CPU: 16 UID: 0 PID: 1463 Comm: vdpa Tainted: G W 6.18.0 #10 PREEMPT [ 3788.514067] Tainted: [W]=WARN [ 3788.514069] Hardware name: Marvell CN106XX board (DT) [ 3788.514071] pstate: 63400009 (nZCv daif +PAN -UAO +TCO +DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) [ 3788.514074] pc : devm_kfree+0x84/0x98 [ 3788.514076] lr : devm_kfree+0x54/0x98 [ 3788.514079] sp : ffff800084e2f220 [ 3788.514080] x29: ffff800084e2f220 x28: ffff0003b2366000 x27: 000000000000003f [ 3788.514085] x26: 000000000000003f x25: ffff000106f17c10 x24: 0000000000000080 [ 3788.514089] x23: ffff00045bb8ab08 x22: ffff00045bb8a000 x21: 0000000000000018 [ 3788.514093] x20: ffff0004355c3080 x19: ffff00045bb8aa00 x18: 0000000000080000 [ 3788.514098] x17: 0000000000000040 x16: 000000000000001f x15: 000000000007ffff [ 3788.514102] x14: 0000000000000488 x13: 0000000000000005 x12: 00000000000fffff [ 3788.514106] x11: ffffffffffffffff x10: 0000000000000005 x9 : ffff800080c8c05c [ 3788.514110] x8 : ffff800084e2eeb8 x7 : 0000000000000000 x6 : 000000000000003f [ 3788.514115] x5 : ffff8000831bafe0 x4 : ffff800080c8b010 x3 : ffff0004355c3080 [ 3788.514119] x2 : ffff0004355c3080 x1 : 0000000000000000 x0 : 0000000000000000 [ 3788.514123] Call trace: [ 3788.514125] devm_kfree+0x84/0x98 (P) [ 3788.514129] virtnet_set_queues+0x134/0x2e8 [virtio_net] [ 3788.514135] virtnet_probe+0x9c0/0xe00 [virtio_net] [ 3788.514139] virtio_dev_probe+0x1e0/0x338 [ 3788.514144] really_probe+0xc8/0x3a0 [ 3788.514149] __driver_probe_device+0x84/0x170 [ 3788.514152] driver_probe_device+0x44/0x120 [ 3788.514155] __device_attach_driver+0xc4/0x168 [ 3788.514158] bus_for_each_drv+0x8c/0xf0 [ 3788.514161] __device_attach+0xa4/0x1c0 [ 3788.514164] device_initial_probe+0x1c/0x30 [ 3788.514168] bus_probe_device+0xb4/0xc0 [ 3788.514170] device_add+0x614/0x828 [ 3788.514173] register_virtio_device+0x214/0x258 [ 3788.514175] virtio_vdpa_probe+0xa0/0x110 [virtio_vdpa] [ 3788.514179] vdpa_dev_probe+0xa8/0xd8 [ 3788.514183] really_probe+0xc8/0x3a0 [ 3788.514186] __driver_probe_device+0x84/0x170 [ 3788.514189] driver_probe_device+0x44/0x120 [ 3788.514192] __device_attach_driver+0xc4/0x168 [ 3788.514195] bus_for_each_drv+0x8c/0xf0 [ 3788.514197] __device_attach+0xa4/0x1c0 [ 3788.514200] device_initial_probe+0x1c/0x30 [ 3788.514203] bus_probe_device+0xb4/0xc0 [ 3788.514206] device_add+0x614/0x828 [ 3788.514209] _vdpa_register_device+0x58/0x88 [ 3788.514211] octep_vdpa_dev_add+0x104/0x228 [octep_vdpa] [ 3788.514215] vdpa_nl_cmd_dev_add_set_doit+0x2d0/0x3c0 [ 3788.514218] genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0xe4/0x158 [ 3788.514222] genl_rcv_msg+0x218/0x298 [ 3788.514225] netlink_rcv_skb+0x64/0x138 [ 3788.514229] genl_rcv+0x40/0x60 [ 3788.514233] netlink_unicast+0x32c/0x3b0 [ 3788.514237] netlink_sendmsg+0x170/0x3b8 [ 3788.514241] __sys_sendto+0x12c/0x1c0 [ 3788.514246] __arm64_sys_sendto+0x30/0x48 [ 3788.514249] invoke_syscall.constprop.0+0x58/0xf8 [ 3788.514255] do_el0_svc+0x48/0xd0 [ 3788.514259] el0_svc+0x48/0x210 [ 3788.514264] el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa0/0xe8 [ 3788.514268] el0t_64_sync+0x198/0x1a0 [ 3788.514271] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
Fix by using virtio_device->device consistently for allocation and deallocation
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
A device pointer mismatch in the Linux kernel's virtio_net driver causes a devres warning when freeing RSS header memory, potentially leading to resource leaks.
Vulnerability
Overview
In the Linux kernel's virtio_net driver, a device pointer mismatch exists between the allocation and deallocation of the RSS (Receive Side Scaling) header structure. The initial allocation of rss_hdr uses virtio_device->device via devm_kzalloc, but the virtnet_set_queues() function attempts to free it using net_device->device via devm_kfree. This inconsistency triggers a kernel warning in devres.c at devm_kfree, as the devres framework expects the same device pointer for both allocation and release [1][2].
Exploitation and
Attack Surface
The vulnerability is triggered during normal driver operation, specifically when virtnet_set_queues() is called, which can occur during device probe or queue reconfiguration. No special privileges or network access are required; the issue manifests as a kernel warning (WARN) that can be observed in system logs. The attack surface is limited to systems using the virtio_net driver with RSS enabled, typically in virtualized environments such as QEMU/KVM or VDPA setups [1][2].
Impact
While the primary impact is a kernel warning that may cause system log noise and potential denial-of-service if the warning is treated as a panic (depending on kernel configuration), the device mismatch could also lead to improper resource tracking. In worst-case scenarios, this may result in memory leaks or use-after-free conditions if the devres framework mishandles the mismatched device pointers. However, the official description only confirms the warning and does not indicate arbitrary code execution [1][2].
Mitigation
The fix is included in the Linux kernel stable branches via commits acb4bc6e1ba3 and a5e2d902f64c. Users should update to a kernel version containing these patches. No workaround is documented; the vulnerability is addressed by ensuring that both allocation and deallocation use the same device pointer (virtio_device->device) [1][2].
AI Insight generated on May 19, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
2Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
AI mechanics synthesis has not run for this CVE yet.
References
2News mentions
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