Vulnerability Snapshot
CVE-2026-74268 is rated CRITICAL — exploitation is trivial or already observed in the wild and impact is severe. Patch immediately, not on the next maintenance window.
Executive Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
tcp: clear sock_ops cb flags before force-closing a child socket
A child socket inherits the listener's bpf_sock_ops_cb_flags via
sk_clone_lock(). If its setup fails in tcp_v4_syn_recv_sock() /
tcp_v6_syn_recv_sock(), the child is freed through put_and_exit, where
inet_csk_prepare_forced_close() drops the socket lock and tcp_done() runs
without it.
If BPF_SOCK_OPS_STATE_CB_FLAG was inherited, tcp_done() -> tcp_set_state()
calls tcp_call_bpf(), which expects the lock and trips sock_owned_by_me():
WARNING: include/net/sock.h:1799 at tcp_set_state+0x433/0x550
RIP: 0010:tcp_set_state+0x433/0x550 include/net/sock.h:1799
Call Trace:
tcp_done+0xba/0x250 net/ipv4/tcp.c:5095
tcp_v4_syn_recv_sock+0x850/0xa50 net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:1787
tcp_check_req+0xf30/0x1360 net/ipv4/tcp_minisocks.c:926
tcp_v4_rcv+0x1047/0x1b50 net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:2164
The child is freed before it is ever established, s
Why It Matters
CVE-2026-74268 is rated CRITICAL severity, requiring immediate attention from security teams.
CVSS Base Score: 9.8/10
EPSS (Exploit Prediction): 0.6% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
🛡️What Defenders Should Check
Use Vulnios to continuously monitor your exposure to CVE-2026-74268 and similar vulnerabilities.
References & Sources
How Vulnios Detects This
Vulnios scans for this vulnerability using Trivy and Grype for SBOM-based CVE matching and Vulnios CVE feed continuous monitoring against your asset inventory. Run a scan against your environment to see whether you are exposed; findings are linked back to the original CVE record so triage starts with the patch path already known.
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Sources
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-74268?
CVE-2026-74268 is a critical-severity vulnerability tracked under the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
tcp: clear sock_ops cb flags before force-closing a child socket
A child socket inherits the listener's bpf_sock_ops_cb_flags via
Am I affected?
Affected technology is listed in the Affected Products section above. If your asset inventory contains any of them, assume in-scope until you can prove otherwise.
How urgent is the response?
Critical: do not wait for your normal patch cycle. Verify exposure today, apply the vendor patch immediately, and add detection rules for any post-exploit indicators.
How do I remediate?
Apply the vendor patch listed in the upstream advisory linked under Sources. If the patch is not yet available, follow the vendor-supplied workaround (often a config flag or feature disable) and add detections for the published exploit pattern in your SIEM. Re-scan after the patch lands to confirm the finding clears.
Where can I track exploitation activity?
Watch CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for CVE-2026-74268. Cross-reference with public exploit databases and your own SIEM/IDS for indicator-of-compromise patterns. Vulnios tracks KEV status automatically and surfaces it on the asset findings view.
How does Vulnios help with this?
Vulnios continuously cross-references your asset inventory against the live CVE feed (NVD, vendor advisories, CISA KEV, and curated OSINT). When a new CVE matches your environment, you get a prioritized finding with the severity, KEV status, exploit-prediction (EPSS), and a direct path to the vendor patch. You can start a free scan from the homepage.
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