CVE-2026-68144
CVE-2026-68144 is a security vulnerability in Kernel. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-68144 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
phonet: pep: fix use-after-free in pep_get_sb()
Real-World Exposure
KernelReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Linux packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
phonet: pep: fix use-after-free in pep_get_sb()
pep_get_sb() doesn't consider that pskb_may_pull() might have relocated the skb data, and continue to access the older pointer, causing UAF.
Reproduced under KASAN:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in pep_get_sb+0x234/0x3b0 Read of size 1 at addr ff11000105510f50 by task repro/157 pep_get_sb+0x234/0x3b0 pipe_handler_do_rcv+0x5f7/0xa10 pep_do_rcv+0x203/0x410 __sk_receive_skb+0x471/0x4a0 phonet_rcv+0x5b3/0x6c0 __netif_receive_skb+0xcc/0x1d0
Refetch the header with skb_header_pointer() after pskb_may_pull(), so the possibly stale pointer is no longer dereferenced. There are better ways to solve this, but, this is the less instrusive one.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐧Linux | Kernel | ≥ 2.6.28&&< 6.6.148 | 6.6.148 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for Kernel. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update Kernel to 6.6.148 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-68144 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-68144 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-68144. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-68144 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-68144 across Linux dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.