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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-53215

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.8 / 5.15.210 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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: net: mvpp2: refill RX buffers before XDP or skb use The RX error path returns the current descriptor buffer to the hardware BM pool. That is only valid while the driver still owns the buffer. mvpp2_rx_refill() can fail after the current buffer has been handed to XDP or attached to an skb. In those cases mvpp2_run_xdp() may have recycled, redirected, or queued the page for XDP_TX, and an skb free also retires the data buffer. Returning such a buffer to BM lets hardware DMA into memory that is no longer owned by the RX ring. Refill the BM pool before handing the current buffer to XDP or to the skb. If the allocation fails there, drop the packet and return the still-owned current buffer to BM, preserving the pool depth. Once the refill succeeds, later local drops retire/free the current buffer instead of returning it to BM.

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 · high confidence

A use-after-free condition exists in the Linux kernel's mvpp2 network driver where the RX error path incorrectly returns buffers to the hardware Buffer Manager pool after ownership has been transferred to XDP or attached to an skb. This allows hardware DMA to write to memory the driver no longer owns, leading to potential memory corruption and privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the kernel patch that refills the BM pool BEFORE handing buffers to XDP or skb processing, ensuring proper buffer ownership and preventing DMA into unowned memory.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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:>= 5.7.15, < 5.8>= 5.8.2, < 5.15.210>= 5.16, < 6.1.176>= 6.2, < 6.6.143>= 6.7, < 6.12.94>= 6.13, < 6.18.36>= 6.19, < 7.0.13= 7.1

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify kernel version
    Run `uname -r` or check `/proc/version` to obtain the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version falls within any of the affected ranges: >= 5.7.15 and < 5.8; >= 5.8.2 and < 5.15.210; >= 5.16 and < 6.1.176; >= 6.2 and < 6.6.143; >= 6.7 and < 6.12.94; >= 6.13 and < 6.18.36; >= 6.19 and < 7.0.13; or equals 7.1
  2. Verify mvpp2 driver is in use
    Check network interfaces for mvpp2 driver usage by running `ethtool -i <interface>` or checking `ls /sys/class/net/*/device/driver` for the mvpp2 module
    Affected if Any network interface is bound to the mvpp2 driver, indicating the vulnerable driver code is active
  3. Confirm XDP or standard networking is in use
    Check if XDP programs are attached to mvpp2 interfaces using `ip link show` (look for 'xdp' in output) or verify normal RX traffic processing is occurring
    Affected if XDP programs are attached to mvpp2 interfaces, or the interface is receiving regular network traffic that triggers the RX error path where buffers are handed to skb processing

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable kernel version within the specified ranges AND uses the mvpp2 driver with active network receive processing (XDP or standard skb handling) on Marvell PPv2 hardware.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 5.8 / 5.15.210 / 6.1.176 or later
Fixed in 5.85.15.2106.1.176
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Interim mitigation

Apply the kernel patch that refills the BM pool BEFORE handing buffers to XDP or skb processing, ensuring proper buffer ownership and preventing DMA into unowned memory.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Linux kernel 6.6.143 or later (or 6.1.176, 5.15.210, or 5.8 depending on stability requirements)

  1. Identify the current kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Check which distribution you are using (e.g., `cat /etc/os-release`)
  3. For Ubuntu/Debian: Update package lists with `apt update` and upgrade kernel with `apt upgrade linux-image-generic`
  4. For RHEL/CentOS: Run `yum update kernel` or `dnf update kernel`
  5. For Arch Linux: Run `pacman -Syu linux`
  6. For Gentoo: Run `emerge --sync && emerge -av @sys-kernel/gentoo-sources` and rebuild kernel
  7. Reboot the system with `reboot` after kernel installation
  8. Verify the new kernel version after reboot with `uname -r` and confirm it is >= 6.6.143, >= 6.1.176, >= 5.15.210, or >= 5.8 (depending on which branch you adopt)
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding out-of-tree kernel modules; ensure driver compatibility before rebooting

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

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
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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-2026-53215 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data