CVE-2024-26923 — af_unix: Fix garbage collector racing against connect()
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: af_unix: Fix garbage collector racing against connect() Garbage collector does not take into account the risk of embryo getting enqueued during the garbage collection. If such embryo has a peer that carries SCM_RIGHTS, two consecutive passes of scan_children() may see a different set of children. Leading to an incorrectly elevated inflight count, and then a dangling pointer within the gc_inflight_list. sockets are AF_UNIX/SOCK_STREAM S is an unconnected socket L is a listening in-flight socket bound to addr, not in fdtable V's fd will be passed via sendmsg(), gets inflight count bumped connect(S, addr) sendmsg(S, [V]); close(V) __unix_gc() ---------------- ------------------------- ----------- NS = unix_create1() skb1 = sock_wmalloc(NS) L = unix_find_other(addr) unix_state_lock(L) unix_peer(S) = NS // V count=1 inflight=0 NS = unix_peer(S) skb2 = sock_alloc() skb_queue_tail(NS, skb2[V]) // V became in-flight // V count=2 inflight=1 close(V) // V count=1 inflight=1 // GC candidate condition met for u in gc_inflight_list: if (total_refs == inflight_refs) add u to gc_candidates // gc_candidates={L, V} for u in gc_candidates: scan_children(u, dec_inflight) // embryo (skb1) was not // reachable from L yet, so V's // inflight remains unchanged __skb_queue_tail(L, skb1) unix_state_unlock(L) for u in gc_candidates: if (u.inflight) scan_children(u, inc_inflight_move_tail) // V count=1 inflight=2 (!) If there is a GC-candidate listening socket, lock/unlock its state. This makes GC wait until the end of any ongoing connect() to that socket. After flipping the lock, a possibly SCM-laden embryo is already enqueued. And if there is another embryo coming, it can not possibly carry SCM_RIGHTS. At this point, unix_inflight() can not happen because unix_gc_lock is already taken. Inflight graph remains unaffected.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+2
- Technical severity (medium)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Debian Debian Linux, Linux Linux, Linux Linux Kernel).
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (logic error), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debian | Debian Linux | version 10.0 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Linux | Linux |
version 2.6.23≥ 1fd05ba5a2f2aa8e7b9b52ef55df850e2e7d54c9 and < 47d8ac011fe1c9251070e1bd64cb10b48193ec51≥ 1fd05ba5a2f2aa8e7b9b52ef55df850e2e7d54c9 and < dbdf7bec5c920200077d693193f989cb1513f009≥ 1fd05ba5a2f2aa8e7b9b52ef55df850e2e7d54c9 and < 507cc232ffe53a352847893f8177d276c3b532a9≥ 1fd05ba5a2f2aa8e7b9b52ef55df850e2e7d54c9 and < b75722be422c276b699200de90527d01c602ea7c≥ 1fd05ba5a2f2aa8e7b9b52ef55df850e2e7d54c9 and < e76c2678228f6aec74b305ae30c9374cc2f28a51≥ 1fd05ba5a2f2aa8e7b9b52ef55df850e2e7d54c9 and < 2e2a03787f4f0abc0072350654ab0ef3324d9db3≥ 1fd05ba5a2f2aa8e7b9b52ef55df850e2e7d54c9 and < 343c5372d5e17b306db5f8f3c895539b06e3177f and 1 more≥ 1fd05ba5a2f2aa8e7b9b52ef55df850e2e7d54c9 and < a36ae0ec2353015f0f6762e59f4c2dbc0c906423 |
Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Linux | Linux Kernel |
version 6.9-rc3version 6.9-rc2version 6.9-rc1≥ 6.7 and < 6.8.7≥ 6.2 and < 6.6.28≥ 5.16 and < 6.1.87≥ 5.11 and < 5.15.156≥ 5.5 and < 5.10.216 and 2 more≥ 4.20 and < 5.4.275≥ 2.6.23 and < 4.19.314 |
Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 1.8 | 5.9 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | Linux via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 4.7 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 1.0 | 3.6 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 4.7 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · linux/linux
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · linux/linux kernel, debian/debian linux
- CVSS changed · 4.7
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- 2024
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
References
15 on the record
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/e76c2678228f6aec74b305ae30c9374cc2f28a51
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b75722be422c276b699200de90527d01c602ea7c
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/507cc232ffe53a352847893f8177d276c3b532a9
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/343c5372d5e17b306db5f8f3c895539b06e3177f
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/dbdf7bec5c920200077d693193f989cb1513f009
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/47d8ac011fe1c9251070e1bd64cb10b48193ec51
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2e2a03787f4f0abc0072350654ab0ef3324d9db3
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a36ae0ec2353015f0f6762e59f4c2dbc0c906423
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/06/msg00017.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-613116.html
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/06/msg00020.html
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-8f6m-26fj-7fm5
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-26923
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-265688.html
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 10h
- Unknown CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 10h
- Unknown CVE-2026-98424 wifi: cfg80211: undo netns switch if renaming the wiphy fails 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98425 wifi: mac80211: don't warn when an IBSS has no channel to scan 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98426 wifi: mwifiex: fix IRQ leak using wrong index in MSI-X error path 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98427 net/sched: codel: bound the dropping loop per dequeue call 1d
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2024-26923 is "af_unix: Fix garbage collector racing against connect()", rated Medium. It affects Debian Linux (Debian); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 4.7 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.21% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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