---
id: CVE-2026-72136
title: 'xfrm: xfrm_interface: require CAP_NET_ADMIN in the device netns for changelink'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  xfrm: xfrm_interface: require CAP_NET_ADMIN in the device netns for changelink

  xfrmi_changelink() operates on at most two netns, dev_net(dev) and the
  interface link ne…
severity: high
cvss: 8.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cvssSource: cna
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e <
    04c1aa57d08471b1953bf27c84ac9b3d78d71831
  - >-
    Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e <
    bdfd1c21d90e628a58a9de79e024cdfcbedfa15c
  - >-
    Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e <
    80ec68bba11f7f387c0e4099c2d7b2c84943eb99
  - >-
    Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e <
    e9c90756f10da334fb31552e52c61f1dba69f491
  - >-
    Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e <
    37b61946d278c7deb0d40ba8f2b6fc0478d61dab
  - >-
    Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e <
    8ca2a19a987a7d1cb4c916ed9723a1c6993b4276
  - >-
    Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e <
    3ba2b2ef7d6a63b190f15cfc2b4ba0fba59928ea
  - >-
    Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e <
    095515d89b19b6cc19dfcdc846f97403ed1ebce3
  - Linux 4.19
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-16T18:42:42.776069Z'
published: '2026-08-15'
updated: '2026-10-16'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-16T18:44:58.796Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72136'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/04c1aa57d08471b1953bf27c84ac9b3d78d71831'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bdfd1c21d90e628a58a9de79e024cdfcbedfa15c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/80ec68bba11f7f387c0e4099c2d7b2c84943eb99'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e9c90756f10da334fb31552e52c61f1dba69f491'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/37b61946d278c7deb0d40ba8f2b6fc0478d61dab'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ca2a19a987a7d1cb4c916ed9723a1c6993b4276'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ba2b2ef7d6a63b190f15cfc2b4ba0fba59928ea'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/095515d89b19b6cc19dfcdc846f97403ed1ebce3'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00169
epssPercentile: 0.05787
ingestedAt: '2026-10-16T19:46:24.427Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

xfrm: xfrm_interface: require CAP_NET_ADMIN in the device netns for changelink

xfrmi_changelink() operates on at most two netns, dev_net(dev) and the
interface link netns xi->net. They differ once the device is created in
or moved to a netns other than the one the request runs in. The rtnl
changelink path checks CAP_NET_ADMIN only against dev_net(dev), so a
caller privileged there but not in xi->net can rewrite an interface that
lives in xi->net.

Gate xfrmi_changelink() on rtnl_dev_link_net_capable() at its top,
before any attribute is parsed.

## Affected

- `Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e < 04c1aa57d08471b1953bf27c84ac9b3d78d71831`
- `Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e < bdfd1c21d90e628a58a9de79e024cdfcbedfa15c`
- `Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e < 80ec68bba11f7f387c0e4099c2d7b2c84943eb99`
- `Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e < e9c90756f10da334fb31552e52c61f1dba69f491`
- `Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e < 37b61946d278c7deb0d40ba8f2b6fc0478d61dab`
- `Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e < 8ca2a19a987a7d1cb4c916ed9723a1c6993b4276`
- `Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e < 3ba2b2ef7d6a63b190f15cfc2b4ba0fba59928ea`
- `Linux >= f203b76d78092faf248db3f851840fbecf80b40e < 095515d89b19b6cc19dfcdc846f97403ed1ebce3`
- `Linux 4.19`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.