net: usb: ax88179_178a: fix skb leak in ax88179_tx_fixup() (CVE-2026-74678) | HOL Guard CVE

Unknown severity · Source severity not reportedCVE-2026-74678

net: usb: ax88179_178a: fix skb leak in ax88179_tx_fixup()

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-74678 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in net: usb: ax88179_178a: fix skb leak in ax88179_tx_fixup(). The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Aug 22, 2026Updated Aug 22, 2026Source checked Aug 22, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 22, 2026Material review Aug 22, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Unknown severitySource severity not reported
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Linux/Linuxgeneric	>=16b1c4e01c89ba07367461e0bc4cb84993c2d027 <83a765cbd7b4d11b0b9fa1bb9d941ae911a2159b \|\| >=16b1c4e01c89ba07367461e0bc4cb84993c2d027 <1c63303659a2264bd55d9813df74cb4caeed5922 \|\| >=16b1c4e01c89ba07367461e0bc4cb84993c2d027 <2be5091fa693b9119ad25a8bb8c149d236a23ade \|\| >=16b1c4e01c89ba07367461e0bc4cb84993c2d027 <58733b1dd46bb231d9d279c132a20ee46da1b664 \|\| >=16b1c4e01c89ba07367461e0bc4cb84993c2d027 <4039cd807a5a46dc5f7618fffae926b8ad8455eb \|\| >=16b1c4e01c89ba07367461e0bc4cb84993c2d027 <1f428e30947395d9b9aacee03e25a4e6cfcad7a4	83a765cbd7b4d11b0b9fa1bb9d941ae911a2159b, 1c63303659a2264bd55d9813df74cb4caeed5922, 2be5091fa693b9119ad25a8bb8c149d236a23ade, 58733b1dd46bb231d9d279c132a20ee46da1b664, 4039cd807a5a46dc5f7618fffae926b8ad8455eb, 1f428e30947395d9b9aacee03e25a4e6cfcad7a4
Linux/Linuxgeneric	5.17	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Linux/Linux, Linux/Linux.
Review the reported fix. Update Linux/Linux to 83a765cbd7b4d11b0b9fa1bb9d941ae911a2159b if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Aug 22, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Aug 22, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Aug 22, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: ax88179_178a: fix skb leak in ax88179_tx_fixup() When the interface has NETIF_F_SG enabled and skb_linearize() fails in ax88179_tx_fixup(), the function returns NULL without freeing the skb. usbnet_start_xmit() treats a NULL return from tx_fixup() as a drop (info->flags does not set FLAG_MULTI_PACKET for this driver), jumping to the "drop" label where it does `if (skb) dev_kfree_skb_any(skb)`. Because tx_fixup() returned NULL, the local skb variable in usbnet_start_xmit() is NULL, so the original skb is never freed — a memory leak on every TX frame whose linearization fails (i.e. under memory pressure). Free the skb before returning, matching the error handling already used for the pskb_expand_head() failure path in the same function.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.