CVE-2026-23150: Medium Vulnerability in Linux Kernel

In the Linux kernel, a medium-severity vulnerability has been resolved that involves a memory leak in the NFC subsystem. This vulnerability allows for the potential degradation of system performance due to memory leaks that can ensue if not addressed promptly. The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 5.5, indicating a moderate risk that organizations need to consider.

Risk to organizations includes the potential for system instability and performance degradation, which could lead to denial of service if the memory leaks are exploited effectively. Organizations should address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle to maintain system integrity and reliability.

The vulnerability was published on February 14, 2026, and has been analyzed to determine its impact and exploitability. Currently, there is no known public exploit for this vulnerability, but organizations are advised to remain vigilant.

Organizations should prioritize patching immediately. The vulnerability affects various versions of the Linux kernel, and it is crucial to ensure that systems are updated to the patched versions.

Vulnerability Details

This vulnerability allows for memory leaks related to NFC structures such as nfc_llcp_sock, sk_buff, and nfc_dev. The issue arises when the nfc_llcp_send_ui_frame() function fails to properly synchronize with the local_cleanup() function, resulting in memory that should be freed remaining allocated.

The vulnerability has been classified as CWE-401, which relates to memory leaks. The affected Linux kernel versions include those between 3.8 and 5.10.249, as well as several others up to 6.19-rc7.

The publication and resolution of this issue enhance the overall security posture of the Linux operating system, and it is critical for organizations to apply the patches provided as soon as possible.

Technical Analysis

The root cause of this vulnerability is the lack of synchronization between nfc_llcp_send_ui_frame() and local_cleanup(). In this scenario, one thread may allocate memory for a socket buffer (skb) while another thread purges the queue, leading to memory leaks.

The attack vector is local, requiring low privileges to exploit. The complexity of the attack is low, and there is no required user interaction, making it easier for an attacker with local access to exploit the vulnerability.

The impacts on confidentiality and integrity are none, but the availability impact is high, which means that an exploit could lead to significant service disruptions.

Risk & Impact Analysis

Organizations running affected versions of the Linux kernel must recognize the deployment risk associated with this vulnerability. If exploited, an attacker could leverage the memory leak to degrade system performance and potentially disrupt services.

Given the moderate CVSS score of 5.5, organizations should evaluate the potential blast radius based on their operational environment. The urgency for remediation should be high, given the availability impact that could affect critical services.

Organizations should address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle to mitigate the associated risks and maintain operational integrity.

Exploitation Status

Affected Versions

The following versions of the Linux kernel are affected by this vulnerability: versions from 3.8 to 5.10.249, 5.11 to 5.15.199, 5.16 to 6.1.162, 6.2 to 6.6.123, 6.7 to 6.12.69, and 6.13 to 6.18.9, including release candidates from 6.19.

Mitigation & Remediation

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should apply the latest patches provided by the Linux kernel maintainers. Ensure that systems are updated to versions that have resolved this issue.

For those unable to immediately patch, implementing configuration hardening and monitoring for unusual memory usage may help reduce the risk associated with this vulnerability.

Organizations should validate remediation through penetration testing to ensure that no residual issues remain.

Detection Guidance

Monitoring logs for any signs of abnormal memory usage or errors related to NFC can be an effective strategy to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also be vigilant for behavioral anomalies in their systems.

AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight

The long-term significance of this vulnerability lies in its representation of potential oversights in memory management within critical system components like the Linux kernel. This highlights the importance of rigorous testing and validation in software development.

Security teams should take this incident as a lesson to bolster their review processes and ensure that such vulnerabilities are caught during development rather than after deployment.

For further insights into vulnerabilities and remediation strategies, organizations can explore penetration testing methodology and vulnerability management best practices that can guide their security posture.

In conclusion, it is crucial for organizations to remain proactive in addressing vulnerabilities such as CVE-2026-23150 to safeguard their systems and data.