netfilter: nf_conntrack_h323: fix OOB read in decode_choice()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 9 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_conntrack_h323: fix OOB read in decode_choice() In decode_choice(), the boundary check before get_len() uses the variable `len`, which is still 0 from its initialization at the top of the function: unsigned int type, ext, len = 0; ... if (ext || (son->attr & OPEN)) { BYTE_ALIGN(bs); if (nf_h323_error_boundary(bs, len, 0)) /* len is 0 here */ return H323_ERROR_BOUND; len = get_len(bs); /* OOB read */ When the bitstream is exactly consumed (bs->cur == bs->end), the check nf_h323_error_boundary(bs, 0, 0) evaluates to (bs->cur + 0 > bs->end), which is false. The subsequent get_len() call then dereferences *bs->cur++, reading 1 byte past the end of the buffer. If that byte has bit 7 set, get_len() reads a second byte as well. This can be triggered remotely by sending a crafted Q.931 SETUP message with a User-User Information Element containing exactly 2 bytes of PER-encoded data ({0x08, 0x00}) to port 1720 through a firewall with the nf_conntrack_h323 helper active. The decoder fully consumes the PER buffer before reaching this code path, resulting in a 1-2 byte heap-buffer-overflow read confirmed by AddressSanitizer. Fix this by checking for 2 bytes (the maximum that get_len() may read) instead of the uninitialized `len`. This matches the pattern used at every other get_len() call site in the same file, where the caller checks for 2 bytes of available data before calling get_len().
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 4.15 and later | 5.10.252, 5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16, 6.19.6, 7.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.15 and later Fixed in 5.10.252, 5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16, 6.19.6, 7.0 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 9
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15.1 to before 5.10.252; 5.11 to before 5.15.202; 5.16 to before 6.1.165; 6.2 to before 6.6.128; 6.7 to before 6.12.75; 6.13 to before 6.18.16; 6.19 to before 6.19.6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15 rc7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc8:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15 rc8 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc9:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.15 rc9 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15.1 to before 5.10.252; 5.11 to before 5.15.202; 5.16 to before 6.1.165; 6.2 to before 6.6.128; 6.7 to before 6.12.75; 6.13 to before 6.18.16; 6.19 to before 6.19.6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15 rc7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc8:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15 rc8 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:4.15:rc9:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.15 rc9 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.252, 5.15.202, 6.1.165, 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.16, 6.19.6, 7.0
Red Hat 3 advisories
- RHSA-2026:68531 Released 2026-09-17 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-553.164.1.el8_10, kernel-4.18.0-553.164.1.el8_10, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-553.164.1.el8_10 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-553.164.1.el8_10
- RHSA-2026:68532 Released 2026-09-17 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel-rt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.164.1.rt7.505.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.164.1.rt7.505.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.164.1.rt7.505.el8_10 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.164.1.rt7.505.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.164.1.rt7.505.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.164.1.rt7.505.el8_10 +7
- RHSA-2026:57252 Released 2026-08-20 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) kernel-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, kernel-64k-core-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8 +28
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, libperf-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-64k-core-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-687.41.1.el9_8 +9
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:57252 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:68531 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:57252 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:68531 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:57252 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:68532 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:68532 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:57252 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:57252 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-43233
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-qx8f-4v7p-9m35
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-16 Priority changed: LOW → MEDIUM
- 2026-10-19 Weakness changed · CISA ADP
References
Patch 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bcb50aa0b8f2b74a9fe5a1c7bee6f2657a288041
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a3aac4205e7d2f1aca2e3827de8cdd517d36c4a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/81f2fc5b0d0cf4696146f00f837596d10b92dead
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ef82863d42261817a6394c6c881bd6757a70f16
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/53d32735d77ab56cc3fc7bd53a7d099418f19be1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f0a83d0a4b7c127d32ac06d607a9214937716129
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/35f1943d242e1b9f0b6e91c0c93bfb293a9f8224
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/baed0d9ba91d4f390da12d5039128ee897253d60
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- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-43233 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-43233 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qx8f-4v7p-9m35 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-43233 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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