CVE-2026-64564: Canonical Ubuntu Linux: use-after-free

What to know

What it is: A critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel allows an attacker to gain high privileges, read, modify or delete data, and cause a denial of service. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to the system.
Affected: {'product': 'Ubuntu Linux', 'vendor': 'Canonical'}
Fix: Check the linked advisory for the fix, as no specific version or package information is provided.
Exploitation: No known exploitation

Story map

Story map: the flaws, the fix, how it unfolded and what it connects to. Boxes link to the record or article.

At a glance

Canonical Ubuntu Linux: Red, act today. A critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel allows an attacker to gain high privileges, read, modify or delete data, and cause a denial of service. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to the system.

The flaws

CVE-2026-64564: Use-after-free (CVSS 9.8 · EPSS 1%)
CVE-2026-93479: Heap buffer overflow can lead to remote code execution (CVSS 8.1 · EPSS 1%)
CVE-2026-15176: Heap buffer overflow can lead to remote code execution (CVSS 8.1 · EPSS 1%)
CVE-2026-97205: NGINX Plus and NGINX Open Source have a vulnerability in the ngx_http_core_module module (CVSS 8.1 · EPSS 1%)

The fix

Fix: Check the linked advisory for the fix, as no specific version or package information is provided.

Who is exposed: {'product': 'Ubuntu Linux', 'vendor': 'Canonical'}

Where it stands

No known exploitation

How it unfolded

26 Oct, Ubuntu security notices (official): USN-8955-1: nginx vulnerabilities
5 Nov, Ubuntu security notices (official): USN-8955-2: nginx vulnerabilities
6 Nov, Ubuntu security notices (official): USN-9003-1: Linux kernel (NVIDIA) vulnerabilities

Connects to

Same weakness: Use-after-free (CWE-416). 400 other warnings in 30 days
Same product: Earlier Canonical Ubuntu Linux warnings. 147 in the last 90 days

Why it is Red

CVSS 9.8 critical
Remotely exploitable without logging in
On your watchlist: linux kernel
Named in a government or vendor bulletin

Government and vendor bulletins

USN-9003-1: Linux kernel (NVIDIA) vulnerabilities

References

Original description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: don't free the ASCONF's own transport in DEL-IP processing sctp_process_asconf() caches the transport the ASCONF chunk is processed against in asconf->transport (== chunk->transport, set once in sctp_rcv()). For an ASCONF located through its Address Parameter by __sctp_rcv_asconf_lookup(), that cached transport corresponds to the Address Parameter, which need not be the packet's source address. sctp_process_asconf_param() rejects a DEL-IP for the packet source address (ADDIP D8, SCTP_ERROR_DEL_SRC_IP), but nothing protects asconf->transport. A single ASCONF can therefore carry, in order: [Address Parameter L] [DEL-IP L] [DEL-IP 0.0.0.0] where L differs from the source. The DEL-IP for L passes the D8 check and calls sctp_assoc_rm_peer() on the transport that asconf->transport still points at, freeing it (RCU-deferred). The following wildcard DEL-IP then reuses the now-dangling asconf->transport in sctp_assoc_set_primary() and sctp_assoc_del_nonprimary_peers(): set_primary() dereferences the freed transport (->ipaddr, ->state) and plants the dangling pointer into asoc->peer.primary_path / active_path, and del_nonprimary_peers(), keeping only the pointer that is no longer on the list, removes every real transport, leaving the association with a transport_count of 0 and primary_path/active_path pointing at freed memory. Reject a DEL-IP that targets the transport the ASCONF is being processed against, mirroring the existing source-address guard, so the wildcard branch can never reuse a freed transport.