{"id":"CVE-2026-68122","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"ovpn: fix peer refcount leak in TCP error paths","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\novpn: fix peer refcount leak in TCP error paths\n\nWhen either the TCP RX or TX error path calls ovpn_peer_hold() followed\nby schedule_work(&peer->tcp.defer_del_work), and the work item is already\npending from the other path, schedule_work() returns false and the work\nruns only once. Since ovpn_tcp_peer_del_work() calls ovpn_peer_put()\nexactly once, the extra reference taken by the losing path is never\ndropped, leaking the peer object.\n\nThe race window:\n\n  CPU0 (strparser/RX error):       CPU1 (tcp_tx_work/TX error):\n  ovpn_peer_hold()   <- refcnt+1   ovpn_peer_hold()   <- refcnt+2\n  schedule_work()    <- queued      schedule_work()    <- NO-OP\n                                    (work already pending)\n  ovpn_tcp_peer_del_work runs:\n    ovpn_peer_del()\n    ovpn_peer_put()  <- refcnt+1\n                                   <- peer never freed\n\nFix by checking the return value of schedule_work() in both paths and\ncalling ovpn_peer_put() to drop the extra reference if the work was\nalready pending. ovpn_peer_hold() is kept unconditional in the TX path\nas it cannot fail at that point.","publishedAt":"2026-08-10T11:58:42.477Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-17T04:59:13.088Z","severity":null,"assigner":"Linux","products":["Linux Linux"],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"a6a5e87b3ee4cbf9c69a776565378c9b6a91dbfb","status":"affected","lessThan":"b08526bf0bbf84ceebd29033783e8e0c9f451286","versionType":"git"},{"version":"a6a5e87b3ee4cbf9c69a776565378c9b6a91dbfb","status":"affected","lessThan":"f08f39c1f43f3980d46b06af8ed99ffe84ac294a","versionType":"git"},{"version":"a6a5e87b3ee4cbf9c69a776565378c9b6a91dbfb","status":"affected","lessThan":"63bbe18fc03062f483c627838a566a707b62da79","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/ovpn/tcp.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"6.16","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"6.16","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.18.42","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.18.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.1.6","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"7.1.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.2","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/ovpn/tcp.c"]}],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b08526bf0bbf84ceebd29033783e8e0c9f451286","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f08f39c1f43f3980d46b06af8ed99ffe84ac294a","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63bbe18fc03062f483c627838a566a707b62da79"],"weaknesses":[],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-29T20:12:49.727Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2026/68xxx/CVE-2026-68122.json","commit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2026-68122","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2026-08-10T11:58:42.477Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-17T04:59:13.088Z","assignerShortName":"Linux","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateReserved":"2026-07-30T09:28:09.369Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"ovpn: fix peer refcount leak in TCP error paths","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\novpn: fix peer refcount leak in TCP error paths\n\nWhen either the TCP RX or TX error path calls ovpn_peer_hold() followed\nby schedule_work(&peer->tcp.defer_del_work), and the work item is already\npending from the other path, schedule_work() returns false and the work\nruns only once. Since ovpn_tcp_peer_del_work() calls ovpn_peer_put()\nexactly once, the extra reference taken by the losing path is never\ndropped, leaking the peer object.\n\nThe race window:\n\n  CPU0 (strparser/RX error):       CPU1 (tcp_tx_work/TX error):\n  ovpn_peer_hold()   <- refcnt+1   ovpn_peer_hold()   <- refcnt+2\n  schedule_work()    <- queued      schedule_work()    <- NO-OP\n                                    (work already pending)\n  ovpn_tcp_peer_del_work runs:\n    ovpn_peer_del()\n    ovpn_peer_put()  <- refcnt+1\n                                   <- peer never freed\n\nFix by checking the return value of schedule_work() in both paths and\ncalling ovpn_peer_put() to drop the extra reference if the work was\nalready pending. ovpn_peer_hold() is kept unconditional in the TX path\nas it cannot fail at that point."}],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"a6a5e87b3ee4cbf9c69a776565378c9b6a91dbfb","status":"affected","lessThan":"b08526bf0bbf84ceebd29033783e8e0c9f451286","versionType":"git"},{"version":"a6a5e87b3ee4cbf9c69a776565378c9b6a91dbfb","status":"affected","lessThan":"f08f39c1f43f3980d46b06af8ed99ffe84ac294a","versionType":"git"},{"version":"a6a5e87b3ee4cbf9c69a776565378c9b6a91dbfb","status":"affected","lessThan":"63bbe18fc03062f483c627838a566a707b62da79","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/ovpn/tcp.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"6.16","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"6.16","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.18.42","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"6.18.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.1.6","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"7.1.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.2","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["drivers/net/ovpn/tcp.c"]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b08526bf0bbf84ceebd29033783e8e0c9f451286"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f08f39c1f43f3980d46b06af8ed99ffe84ac294a"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63bbe18fc03062f483c627838a566a707b62da79"}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"Linux","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateUpdated":"2026-08-17T04:59:13.088Z"},"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"6.16","versionEndExcluding":"6.18.42"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"6.16","versionEndExcluding":"7.1.6"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"6.16","versionEndExcluding":"7.2"}]}]}],"x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}}