{"id":"CVE-2026-98851","published":"2026-10-18T16:17:39.490","lastModified":"2026-10-19T10:19:49.193","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnetfilter: nft_flow_offload: drop flowtable reference on init error path\n\nnft_flow_offload_init() bumps the flowtable use count with\nnft_use_inc() before calling nf_ct_netns_get().  When the latter\nfails, the error is returned as-is and the reference is leaked.\n\nThe upper layers do not balance it either: nf_tables_newexpr()\nclears expr->ops when the expression init callback fails, so the\nnft_expr_more() iteration in nft_rule_expr_deactivate() and\nnf_tables_rule_destroy() stops right before the failed expression\nand its ->destroy callback, which would drop the reference, never\nruns.\n\nEach failed rule addition therefore leaks one flowtable reference\nand the flowtable can no longer be removed: NFT_MSG_DELFLOWTABLE\nkeeps reporting -EBUSY even though no rule references it.\n\nSave the nf_ct_netns_get() return value and undo the nft_use_inc()\nwhen it fails, restoring the inc/dec pairing within\nnft_flow_offload_init() itself.","cvssScore":null,"cvssSeverity":null,"cvssVector":null,"cwes":[],"vendors":[],"products":[],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4cd378423a33194a773c267fc58606d28fce95cf","tags":[]},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/64ac0cb574c740bf723affb79b646eeba920db6b","tags":[]},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/747928b5d4ff8c8de55138a54c13980e4bb88578","tags":[]},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c5f91098edee98c015f78488460a0609e62582a5","tags":[]}],"exploitRefs":[],"hasPoc":false,"ai":null}