In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close()
When deleting a peer in case of keepalive expiration, the peer is
removed from the OpenVPN hashtable and is temporary inserted in a
"release list" for further processing.
This happens in:
ovpn_peer_keepalive_work()
unlock_ovpn(release_list)
This processing includes detaching from the socket being used to
talk to this peer, by restoring its original proto and socket
ops/callbacks.
In case of TCP it may happen that, while the peer is sitting in
the release list, userspace decides to close the socket.
This will result in a concurrent execution of:
tcp_close(sk)
__tcp_close(sk)
sock_orphan(sk)
sk_set_socket(sk, NULL)
The last function call will set sk->sk_socket to NULL.
When the releasing routine is resumed, ovpn_tcp_socket_detach()
will attempt to dereference sk->sk_socket to restore its original
ops member. This operation will crash due to sk->sk_socket being NULL.
Fix this race condition by testing-and-accessing
sk->sk_socket atomically under sk->sk_callback_lock.
ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close()
When deleting a peer in case of keepalive expiration, the peer is
removed from the OpenVPN hashtable and is temporary inserted in a
"release list" for further processing.
This happens in:
ovpn_peer_keepalive_work()
unlock_ovpn(release_list)
This processing includes detaching from the socket being used to
talk to this peer, by restoring its original proto and socket
ops/callbacks.
In case of TCP it may happen that, while the peer is sitting in
the release list, userspace decides to close the socket.
This will result in a concurrent execution of:
tcp_close(sk)
__tcp_close(sk)
sock_orphan(sk)
sk_set_socket(sk, NULL)
The last function call will set sk->sk_socket to NULL.
When the releasing routine is resumed, ovpn_tcp_socket_detach()
will attempt to dereference sk->sk_socket to restore its original
ops member. This operation will crash due to sk->sk_socket being NULL.
Fix this race condition by testing-and-accessing
sk->sk_socket atomically under sk->sk_callback_lock.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
No data.
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Wed, 27 May 2026 14:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close() When deleting a peer in case of keepalive expiration, the peer is removed from the OpenVPN hashtable and is temporary inserted in a "release list" for further processing. This happens in: ovpn_peer_keepalive_work() unlock_ovpn(release_list) This processing includes detaching from the socket being used to talk to this peer, by restoring its original proto and socket ops/callbacks. In case of TCP it may happen that, while the peer is sitting in the release list, userspace decides to close the socket. This will result in a concurrent execution of: tcp_close(sk) __tcp_close(sk) sock_orphan(sk) sk_set_socket(sk, NULL) The last function call will set sk->sk_socket to NULL. When the releasing routine is resumed, ovpn_tcp_socket_detach() will attempt to dereference sk->sk_socket to restore its original ops member. This operation will crash due to sk->sk_socket being NULL. Fix this race condition by testing-and-accessing sk->sk_socket atomically under sk->sk_callback_lock. | |
| Title | ovpn: tcp - don't deref NULL sk_socket member after tcp_close() | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-05-27T12:17:34.500Z
Reserved: 2026-05-13T15:03:33.085Z
Link: CVE-2026-45918
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Awaiting Analysis
Published: 2026-05-27T14:17:06.690
Modified: 2026-05-27T14:48:03.013
Link: CVE-2026-45918
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.