CVE-2026-5590 | net: ip/tcp: Null pointer dereference can be triggered by a race condition

A race condition during TCP connection teardown can cause tcp_recv() to operate on a connection that has already been released. If tcp_conn_search() returns NULL while processing a SYN packet, a NULL pointer derived from stale context data is passed to tcp_backlog_is_full() and dereferenced without validation, leading to a crash.

Published: 2026-04-05 Last update: 2026-04-07 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-5590 is rated Low Risk (27.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.16%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-5590

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.05% 0.16% +0.11%
2 2026-05-07 0.04% 0.05% +0.01%
3 2026-04-05 0.04%

Full EPSS history (3 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-5590

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.4 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.6 4.7 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-5590

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-5590

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
No affected products in dataset.

References for CVE-2026-5590

cvelogic Threat Intelligence