Vulnerability Description
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.
CVSS Score
MEDIUM
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Zephyrproject | Zephyr | >= 3.3.0, < 4.5.0 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/aaed8332a62b0490a2f3c2cbabe2Patch
- https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-r74c-mr4m-ExploitVendor Advisory
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-10640?
CVE-2026-10640 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 4.2 (MEDIUM). 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(p...
How severe is CVE-2026-10640?
CVE-2026-10640 has been rated MEDIUM with a CVSS base score of 4.2/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-10640?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Zephyrproject Zephyr.