---
id: CVE-2026-98625
title: 'netfilter: flowtable: publish HW_DEAD after worker is done'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  netfilter: flowtable: publish HW_DEAD after worker is done

  flow_offload_work_del() sets NF_FLOW_HW_DEAD before the work handler
  clears NF_FLOW_HW_PENDING. Once a flow …
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 <
    f92e8f39726ba68a7c42c6b7566be687c8161579
  - >-
    Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 <
    00e452a7ca9fda135ea3d04a11128d5088e354a8
  - >-
    Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 <
    56f39c7d139bb76072efe2fb3dcafc13ba915ad8
  - >-
    Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 <
    e20701843032c438f879066a77ea85e361c6b999
  - >-
    Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 <
    b4f0f05dfbe836a171bff261f17d098a4d5461ea
  - >-
    Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 <
    b0ef9450e93f2adeb77593db14c2ac7c6c8f5060
  - >-
    Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 <
    f26652e99f519e6bd34f8a9b48fbb33c603585f2
  - >-
    Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 <
    d644b23afe1ef509c9961a6d84a093c2587edf02
  - Linux 5.7
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-18'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-18T15:19:46.372Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98625'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f92e8f39726ba68a7c42c6b7566be687c8161579'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/00e452a7ca9fda135ea3d04a11128d5088e354a8'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/56f39c7d139bb76072efe2fb3dcafc13ba915ad8'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e20701843032c438f879066a77ea85e361c6b999'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b4f0f05dfbe836a171bff261f17d098a4d5461ea'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b0ef9450e93f2adeb77593db14c2ac7c6c8f5060'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f26652e99f519e6bd34f8a9b48fbb33c603585f2'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d644b23afe1ef509c9961a6d84a093c2587edf02'
tags:
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T15:45:12.238Z'
---

## Overview

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

netfilter: flowtable: publish HW_DEAD after worker is done

flow_offload_work_del() sets NF_FLOW_HW_DEAD before the work handler
clears NF_FLOW_HW_PENDING. Once a flow is both HW_DYING and HW_DEAD, a
concurrent garbage collection pass can remove it and schedule it for RCU
freeing.

The offload worker holds neither an RCU read lock nor a reference to the
flow. If it is preempted after publishing HW_DEAD, the RCU callback can
free the flow before the worker resumes and clears HW_PENDING, resulting
in a use-after-free.

Move HW_DEAD publication to the common worker epilogue after the pending
bit is cleared, making it the final flow access by destroy work. Order all
preceding flow accesses before publishing the bit that allows garbage
collection to free the object.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 < f92e8f39726ba68a7c42c6b7566be687c8161579`
- `Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 < 00e452a7ca9fda135ea3d04a11128d5088e354a8`
- `Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 < 56f39c7d139bb76072efe2fb3dcafc13ba915ad8`
- `Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 < e20701843032c438f879066a77ea85e361c6b999`
- `Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 < b4f0f05dfbe836a171bff261f17d098a4d5461ea`
- `Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 < b0ef9450e93f2adeb77593db14c2ac7c6c8f5060`
- `Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 < f26652e99f519e6bd34f8a9b48fbb33c603585f2`
- `Linux >= 2c8897953f3b2ff5498f3f275708a742bfcdbc24 < d644b23afe1ef509c9961a6d84a093c2587edf02`
- `Linux 5.7`

## Remediation

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