---
id: CVE-2026-98561
title: 'kernel: nfp: hold IPsec RX state under the XArray lock (CVE-2026-98561)'
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Netronome Flow Processor (nfp) network
  driver. A race condition occurs when incoming Internet Protocol Security
  (IPsec) network packets are processed concurrently with the removal of
  security associat…
severity: medium
cvss: 5.9
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-413
vendor: Red Hat
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 57f273adbcd44172cbe0bd10b8b7408dd255699f <
    c1b1639fb138db52fcfbd1747e92f2454076c6d5
  - >-
    Linux >= 57f273adbcd44172cbe0bd10b8b7408dd255699f <
    dd765023bb54f9650f8b9137906fb2c4a554dd1d
  - >-
    Linux >= 57f273adbcd44172cbe0bd10b8b7408dd255699f <
    8468d05aa08dc430b5675beadf6f6fb8943f170b
  - >-
    Linux >= 57f273adbcd44172cbe0bd10b8b7408dd255699f <
    fe6c8ea8bfd5d1253bb0de682b1fcc2c4bb92488
  - >-
    Linux >= 57f273adbcd44172cbe0bd10b8b7408dd255699f <
    1a983a4e14c635c40354be110cd9a1a5c94e01e6
  - Linux 6.2
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-20'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-20T02:26:18+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98561.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98561.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98561'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2555021'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98561'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98561'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98561.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c1b1639fb138db52fcfbd1747e92f2454076c6d5'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dd765023bb54f9650f8b9137906fb2c4a554dd1d'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8468d05aa08dc430b5675beadf6f6fb8943f170b'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fe6c8ea8bfd5d1253bb0de682b1fcc2c4bb92488'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1a983a4e14c635c40354be110cd9a1a5c94e01e6'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00206
epssPercentile: 0.10481
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T15:45:12.260Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Netronome Flow Processor (nfp) network driver. A race condition occurs when incoming Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) network packets are processed concurrently with the removal of security associations. Because the driver releases internal locks before securing a reference to the connection state, the system attempts to increment a reference count on an object already queued for destruction. This issue can lead to memory corruption and crash the system, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · updated 2026-10-20 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98561.json)

**kernel: nfp: hold IPsec RX state under the XArray lock** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-20.

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

## Remediation

Refer to the advisory for fix availability.