Linux kernel — CWE-407 Disclosure Brief

2026-03-27 · Patch available — awaiting upstream merge

Finding

Seven O(n²) defects in the Linux kernel spanning the audit subsystem, network core, neighbor cache, device component framework, BPF BTF, packet generator, and task statistics. All are linear scan patterns in kernel hot paths where hash-based structures should be used. Patches ready for upstream review.

The Defects

linux-0001 (PATCHED — HIGH): kernel/auditsc.c

/* audit_filter_inodes() — per syscall exit: */
/* O(F²×R) — audit rule × names re-scan per syscall */

O(F²×R) inode re-scan per syscall exit in the audit subsystem. Fix: inode hash bucket routing.

linux-0002 (PATCHED — HIGH): net/core/dev.c

/* __dev_alloc_name() — O(D×A) per alt-name on interface rename: */
/* Nested sscanf scan for each alternate name */

O(D×A) nested sscanf per alt-name on NETDEV_CHANGE_TX_QUEUE_LEN/rename. Fix: per-prefix bitmap.

linux-0003 (PATCHED — HIGH): net/core/neighbour.c

/* lookup_neigh_parms() — O(P) linear ifindex scan per neighbour lookup: */
for (t = net->ipv4.neigh_parms; t; t = t->next) {
    if (t->dev && t->dev->ifindex == ifindex) return t;
}

O(P) linear ifindex scan on every neighbour table parameter lookup. Fix: rhashtable.

linux-0005 (PATCHED — HIGH): drivers/base/component.c

/* find_component() — O(M×C) list_for_each_entry per component bind: */

O(M×C) nested list scan per component bind in the device component framework. Fix: DECLARE_HASHTABLE.

linux-0006 (PATCHED — HIGH): kernel/bpf/btf.c

/* O(M) idr_for_each_entry module-BTF name scan per BTF lookup: */

O(M) linear idr_for_each_entry scan for module BTF name lookup. Fix: name→id DECLARE_HASHTABLE.

linux-0007 (PATCHED — MEDIUM): net/core/pktgen.c

/* __pktgen_NN_threads() + pktgen_change_name() — O(T×D) nested linked-list scan: */

O(T×D) nested scan per thread/device lookup. Fix: xarray for O(1) device lookup. Measured ratio: 20×.

linux-0008 (PATCHED — MEDIUM): kernel/taskstats.c

/* add_del_listener() — O(|CPUs|×L) nested-list scan per REGISTER cpumask: */

O(|CPUs|×L) nested scan per TASKSTATS_CMD_ATTR_REGISTER_CPUMASK. Fix: per-CPU hlist. Measured ratio: 10×.

Complexity Proof

linux-0001: O(F²×R) per syscall exit — inode recheck.
linux-0002: O(D×A) per interface rename.
linux-0003: O(P) per neighbour lookup.
linux-0005: O(M×C) per component bind.
linux-0006: O(M) per BTF name lookup.
linux-0007: O(T×D) — 20× measured ratio.
linux-0008: O(|CPUs|×L) — 10× measured ratio.

Impact

The Linux kernel runs on hundreds of millions of devices. Each defect affects a different subsystem:

linux-0001: Every system call on audited Linux systems (servers with auditd enabled).
linux-0002/0003: Networking-heavy workloads on servers with many interfaces.
linux-0005: Driver subsystem on embedded/IoT devices with component framework.
linux-0006: BPF-heavy deployments (Kubernetes with eBPF, observability tools).
linux-0007: Network performance testing and packet generation.
linux-0008: Process monitoring with taskstats on many CPUs.

The Fix

All seven defects follow the same pattern — replace linear list/array scan with appropriate kernel hash structure (DECLARE_HASHTABLE, rhashtable, xarray, per-CPU hlist):

/* linux-0003 representative fix */
/* Before: O(P) linear scan */
for (t = net->ipv4.neigh_parms; t; t = t->next) {
    if (t->dev && t->dev->ifindex == ifindex) return t;
}

/* After */
/* CWE-407 fix: rhashtable for O(1) ifindex lookup instead of O(P) list scan. */
t = rhashtable_lookup_fast(&neigh_parms_ht, &ifindex, neigh_parms_ht_params);

Patch

defects/linux/patch/linux-0001-0002-0003-0005-0006-0007-0008-hashstruct.patch

What We Ask

Confirm receipt — these defects span multiple kernel subsystems; please route to the appropriate maintainers (audit, netdev, neighbour, drivers/base, bpf, pktgen, taskstats).
Validate each patch against the corresponding subsystem test suite.
Assess CVE eligibility — linux-0001 affects every audited syscall on hardened Linux systems.
Coordinate a disclosure date — we are targeting 90 days from first contact.

Contact: see cover email. This brief is confidential until coordinated disclosure.

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