Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-23286

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.253 / 5.15.203 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: atm: lec: fix null-ptr-deref in lec_arp_clear_vccs syzkaller reported a null-ptr-deref in lec_arp_clear_vccs(). This issue can be easily reproduced using the syzkaller reproducer. In the ATM LANE (LAN Emulation) module, the same atm_vcc can be shared by multiple lec_arp_table entries (e.g., via entry->vcc or entry->recv_vcc). When the underlying VCC is closed, lec_vcc_close() iterates over all ARP entries and calls lec_arp_clear_vccs() for each matched entry. For example, when lec_vcc_close() iterates through the hlists in priv->lec_arp_empty_ones or other ARP tables: 1. In the first iteration, for the first matched ARP entry sharing the VCC, lec_arp_clear_vccs() frees the associated vpriv (which is vcc->user_back) and sets vcc->user_back to NULL. 2. In the second iteration, for the next matched ARP entry sharing the same VCC, lec_arp_clear_vccs() is called again. It obtains a NULL vpriv from vcc->user_back (via LEC_VCC_PRIV(vcc)) and then attempts to dereference it via `vcc->pop = vpriv->old_pop`, leading to a null-ptr-deref crash. Fix this by adding a null check for vpriv before dereferencing it. If vpriv is already NULL, it means the VCC has been cleared by a previous call, so we can safely skip the cleanup and just clear the entry's vcc/recv_vcc pointers. The entire cleanup block (including vcc_release_async()) is placed inside the vpriv guard because a NULL vpriv indicates the VCC has already been fully released by a prior iteration — repeating the teardown would redundantly set flags and trigger callbacks on an already-closing socket. The Fixes tag points to the initial commit because the entry->vcc path has been vulnerable since the original code. The entry->recv_vcc path was later added by commit 8d9f73c0ad2f ("atm: fix a memory leak of vcc->user_back") with the same pattern, and both paths are fixed here.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 2.6.12.1, < 5.10.253>= 5.11, < 5.15.203>= 5.16, < 6.1.167>= 6.2, < 6.6.130>= 6.7, < 6.12.77>= 6.13, < 6.18.17>= 6.19, < 6.19.7= 2.6.12= 7.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.10.253 / 5.15.203 / 6.1.167 or later
Fixed in 5.10.2535.15.2036.1.167
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the next stable release in your current branch: 5.10.253+, 5.15.203+, 6.1.167+, or 6.6.130+ (depending on your current branch)

  1. Identify the currently running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Determine which version range your kernel falls into (5.10.x, 5.11-5.15.x, 5.16-6.1.x, or 6.2-6.6.x)
  3. For 5.10.x: upgrade to kernel 5.10.253 or later
  4. For 5.11-5.15.x: upgrade to kernel 5.15.203 or later
  5. For 5.16-6.1.x: upgrade to kernel 6.1.167 or later
  6. For 6.2-6.6.x: upgrade to kernel 6.6.130 or later
  7. Alternatively, apply the upstream patch commit 101bacb303e89dc2e0640ae6a5e0fb97c4eb45bb to your custom kernel
  8. Reboot into the patched kernel and verify the fix using `dmesg` to confirm no null-ptr-deref errors in lec_arp_clear_vccs
Caveat Standard kernel upgrade risks apply - ensure driver/compatibility review for custom drivers or unusual configurations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-23286 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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