CVE-2024-39490: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sr: fix missing sk_buff release in seg6_input_core The seg6

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sr: fix missing sk_buff release in seg6_input_core The seg6_input() function is resp

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sr: fix missing sk_buff release in seg6_input_core The seg6_input() function is responsible for adding the SRH into a packet, delegating the operation to the seg6_input_core(). This function uses the skb_cow_head() to ensure that there is sufficient headroom in the sk_buff for accommodating the link-layer header. In the event that the skb_cow_header() function fails, the seg6_input_core() catches the error but it does not release the sk_buff, which will result in a memory leak. This issue was introduced in commit af3b5158b89d ("ipv6: sr: fix BUG due to headroom too small after SRH push") and persists even after commit 7a3f5b0de364 ("netfilter: add netfilter hooks to SRv6 data plane"), where the entire seg6_input() code was refactored to deal with netfilter hooks. The proposed patch addresses the identified memory leak by requiring the seg6_input_core() function to release the sk_buff in the event that skb_cow_head() fails.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.22%, higher than 13% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

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Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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