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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-53355

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.19 / 4.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click 7 weeks old

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: rds: clear i_sends on setup unwind The RDS IB connection teardown path is written so it can run during partial startup and on repeated shutdown attempts. It uses NULL pointers to distinguish resources that are still owned from resources that have already been released. When rds_ib_setup_qp() fails after allocating i_sends but before allocating i_recvs, the sends_out path frees i_sends without clearing the pointer. A later shutdown pass can still treat that stale pointer as a live send ring allocation. Clear i_sends after vfree() in the error unwind path so the existing shutdown logic continues to use the correct ownership state.

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 stale pointer vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's RDS (Reliable Datagram Sockets) InfiniBand implementation. When rds_ib_setup_qp() fails after allocating i_sends but before i_recvs, the error cleanup frees i_sends via vfree() but fails to clear the pointer. Subsequent shutdown passes can misinterpret this stale pointer as a valid send ring allocation, leading to potential use-after-free or incorrect ownership state.

MitigationApply the kernel patch to clear the i_sends pointer after vfree() in the error unwind path, or update to a kernel version containing this fix. Prioritize patching given the CVSS 9.8 severity.

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:>= 3.18.74, < 3.19>= 4.1.46, < 4.2>= 4.4.91, < 4.5>= 4.9.54, < 4.10>= 4.11.1, < 5.10.259>= 5.11, < 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= 4.11

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' to get the running kernel version. Compare it to the version that includes the fix for this vulnerability (check your Linux distribution's security advisories for the specific fixed version).
    Affected if The kernel version is older than the patched version and RDS InfiniBand support is enabled.
  2. Check if RDS InfiniBand module is loaded
    Run 'lsmod | grep rds' or 'modinfo rds_ib' to see if the RDS InfiniBand module (rds_ib) is loaded or available on the system.
    Affected if The rds_ib module is loaded and the system uses RDS over InfiniBand connections.
  3. Verify RDS IB support in kernel config
    Check /boot/config-$(uname -r) or /proc/config.gz for CONFIG_RDS_IB (or CONFIG_RDS) to see if RDS support is compiled into the kernel.
    Affected if RDS and RDS_IB support are enabled in the kernel configuration.
  4. Check for RDS-related kernel errors
    Run 'dmesg | grep -i rds' or check /var/log/kern.log for any oops, panic, or use-after-free messages related to RDS connection teardown.
    Affected if Kernel oopses or messages mentioning 'rds_ib' and memory corruption/poision errors appear in kernel logs.

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable kernel version with RDS InfiniBand support enabled or loaded, and exhibits RDS-related memory corruption errors during connection shutdown.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.19 / 4.2 / 4.5 or later
Fixed in 3.194.24.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the kernel patch to clear the i_sends pointer after vfree() in the error unwind path, or update to a kernel version containing this fix. Prioritize patching given the CVSS 9.8 severity.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
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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-2026-53355 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
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