CVE-2026-10640 json
Use-after-free reading `net_pkt` `iface` after send in IPv6 Neighbor Discovery (`ipv6_nbr.c`)
published 2026-06-16 4 mo ago modified 2026-11-04 5 d ago also EUVD-2026-37117
- cvss
- 4.2
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 0.4%
- EPSS 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 31%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
Zephyr's IPv6 Neighbor Discovery send paths (net_ipv6_send_na, net_ipv6_send_ns, net_ipv6_send_rs in subsys/net/ip/ipv6_nbr.c) updated the per-interface ICMP-sent statistics by calling net_pkt_iface(pkt) after net_send_data(pkt) had already returned successfully. On the success path the network stack owns and releases the packet's reference (the L2/driver send unrefs it, e.g. ethernet_send -> net_pkt_unref), so for a freshly allocated packet with refcount 1 the net_pkt slab block can be freed before the statistics line runs (synchronously when no TX queue thread is configured, or via a concurrent TX thread otherwise).
The subsequent net_pkt_iface(pkt) reads pkt->iface from the freed slab block, and with CONFIG_NET_STATISTICS_PER_INTERFACE enabled that loaded pointer is dereferenced to increment iface->stats.icmp.sent, a use-after-free (CWE-416). If the slab block was reallocated in the meantime the read/increment targets unrelated or attacker-influenced memory, yielding corrupted statistics, a fault/crash (denial of service), or potential limited memory corruption.
The vulnerable Neighbor Advertisement path is reachable by any unauthenticated on-link node simply by sending ICMPv6 Neighbor Solicitations to a Zephyr node with native IPv6 enabled (handle_ns_input -> net_ipv6_send_na).
Affected from v3.3.0 through v4.4.0; the fix uses the already-available iface argument instead of touching the sent packet. Configurations without per-interface statistics dereference only a global counter and are not affected by the memory-safety aspect.
Patch / fix
CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
- Assessed
- 4 mo ago
Exploit prediction
0.37% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 31% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
Exploits and checks
- github.com https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-r74c-mr4m-7g9g referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | 3.1 | 4.2 | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L |
| NVD | 3.1 | 7.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H |
Affected products
- zephyrproject zephyr
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-416 Use After Free
References
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2026-10640
- NVD CVE-2026-10640
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