CVE-2026-98610

net/sched: sch_hfsc: bound the classify inner-filter walk with a drift budget

Published Oct 18, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.5 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/sched: sch_hfsc: bound the classify inner-filter walk with a drift budget

hfsc_classify() applies the "filter may only point downwards" level check
only when the filter result carries no bound class. A filter created with
a flowid gets res.class set once at bind time, so the check never runs for
it during classification. hfsc_adjust_levels() can later raise a class's
level without revalidating existing bindings, leaving two binds that were
each legal at bind time pointing at each other; the classify walk then
bounces between two interior classes forever with the qdisc lock held and
BH disabled — a soft lockup from a single packet. The stuck walk trips
the watchdog:

watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#3 stuck for 13s! [ping:444]
RIP: 0010:u32_classify+0x542/0x17f0
...
tcf_classify+0x66/0xa0
hfsc_enqueue+0x166/0xdf0

Bound the traversal with a budget of non-descending hops, the only way a
configured walk can move without descending the class tree once levels
drift after bind time. The budget is cumulative over the whole walk and
is deliberately not reset on a descending hop: a chain that alternates a
descent with a lateral hop would return the budget every lap and never
trip. Descending hops never decrement it, so legitimately deep trees are
unaffected and a terminating lateral chain still classifies normally.
Drop the packet with a rate-limited warning once the budget is exhausted,
mirroring the merged HTB fix.

This is a follow-up to commit 729c4896ab82 ("net/sched: sch_htb: limit
htb_classify inner-class filter hops"), which bounded the same classify
loop on the HTB side but left the HFSC walk unbounded.

Conditions to recreate the bug:
- CONFIG_NET_SCHED, CONFIG_NET_SCH_HFSC, CONFIG_NET_CLS_U32,
CONFIG_LOCKUP_DETECTOR.
- Build a cycle with two legal-at-bind-time flowid binds and a level
drift: class X 1:1 (child of root) with leaf child 1:10; class Y 1:2
(sibling of X) with children 1:20 and 1:200; root u32 filter flowid
1:1; filter on X flowid 1:2 (legal when Y is a leaf); after Y's level
rises to 2, filter on Y flowid 1:1 (legal then). Send one packet (ping
on the device). Unfixed kernel: classify spins with the qdisc lock
held; with softlockup_panic=1 it panics.
- Reachable from unprivileged user via unshare -Urn (CAP_NET_ADMIN).

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Debian DLA Debian DLA DLA-4850-1 linux-6.12 security update
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8961-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9019-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9020-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9022-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9023-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9024-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9025-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9026-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9029-1 Linux kernel (Raspberry Pi) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9039-1 Linux kernel (Azure CVM) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9040-1 Linux kernel (Low Latency NVIDIA) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9066-1 Linux kernel (HWE) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9091-1 Linux kernel (NVIDIA Tegra) vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-835
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-739
Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: sch_hfsc: bound the classify inner-filter walk with a drift budget hfsc_classify() applies the "filter may only point downwards" level check only when the filter result carries no bound class. A filter created with a flowid gets res.class set once at bind time, so the check never runs for it during classification. hfsc_adjust_levels() can later raise a class's level without revalidating existing bindings, leaving two binds that were each legal at bind time pointing at each other; the classify walk then bounces between two interior classes forever with the qdisc lock held and BH disabled — a soft lockup from a single packet. The stuck walk trips the watchdog: watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#3 stuck for 13s! [ping:444] RIP: 0010:u32_classify+0x542/0x17f0 ... tcf_classify+0x66/0xa0 hfsc_enqueue+0x166/0xdf0 Bound the traversal with a budget of non-descending hops, the only way a configured walk can move without descending the class tree once levels drift after bind time. The budget is cumulative over the whole walk and is deliberately not reset on a descending hop: a chain that alternates a descent with a lateral hop would return the budget every lap and never trip. Descending hops never decrement it, so legitimately deep trees are unaffected and a terminating lateral chain still classifies normally. Drop the packet with a rate-limited warning once the budget is exhausted, mirroring the merged HTB fix. This is a follow-up to commit 729c4896ab82 ("net/sched: sch_htb: limit htb_classify inner-class filter hops"), which bounded the same classify loop on the HTB side but left the HFSC walk unbounded. Conditions to recreate the bug: - CONFIG_NET_SCHED, CONFIG_NET_SCH_HFSC, CONFIG_NET_CLS_U32, CONFIG_LOCKUP_DETECTOR. - Build a cycle with two legal-at-bind-time flowid binds and a level drift: class X 1:1 (child of root) with leaf child 1:10; class Y 1:2 (sibling of X) with children 1:20 and 1:200; root u32 filter flowid 1:1; filter on X flowid 1:2 (legal when Y is a leaf); after Y's level rises to 2, filter on Y flowid 1:1 (legal then). Send one packet (ping on the device). Unfixed kernel: classify spins with the qdisc lock held; with softlockup_panic=1 it panics. - Reachable from unprivileged user via unshare -Urn (CAP_NET_ADMIN).
Title net/sched: sch_hfsc: bound the classify inner-filter walk with a drift budget
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
Oct 19, 2026, 9:22 AM
Reserved
Sep 25, 2026, 10:25 AM
Status
Received
Published
Oct 18, 2026, 4:17 PM
Modified
Oct 19, 2026, 10:19 AM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Oct 18, 2026, 12:00 AM