ibmveth: Disable GSO for packets with small MSS
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-400.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ibmveth: Disable GSO for packets with small MSS Some physical adapters on Power systems do not support segmentation offload when the MSS is less than 224 bytes. Attempting to send such packets causes the adapter to freeze, stopping all traffic until manually reset. Implement ndo_features_check to disable GSO for packets with small MSS values. The network stack will perform software segmentation instead. The 224-byte minimum matches ibmvnic commit <f10b09ef687f> ("ibmvnic: Enforce stronger sanity checks on GSO packets") which uses the same physical adapters in SEA configurations. The issue occurs specifically when the hardware attempts to perform segmentation (gso_segs > 1) with a small MSS. Single-segment GSO packets (gso_segs == 1) do not trigger the problematic LSO code path and are transmitted normally without segmentation. Add an ndo_features_check callback to disable GSO when MSS < 224 bytes. Also call vlan_features_check() to ensure proper handling of VLAN packets, particularly QinQ (802.1ad) configurations where the hardware parser may not support certain offload features. Validated using iptables to force small MSS values. Without the fix, the adapter freezes. With the fix, packets are segmented in software and transmission succeeds. Comprehensive regression testing completedd (MSS tests, performance, stability).
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 | 4.2 and later | 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.140, 6.12.88, 6.18.30, 7.0.7, 7.1 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.2 and later Fixed in 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.140, 6.12.88, 6.18.30, 7.0.7, 7.1 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.2 to before 5.10.258; 5.11 to before 5.15.209; 5.16 to before 6.1.175; 6.2 to before 6.6.140; 6.7 to before 6.12.88; 6.13 to before 6.18.30; 6.19 to before 7.0.7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.2 to before 5.10.258; 5.11 to before 5.15.209; 5.16 to before 6.1.175; 6.2 to before 6.6.140; 6.7 to before 6.12.88; 6.13 to before 6.18.30; 6.19 to before 7.0.7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.140, 6.12.88, 6.18.30, 7.0.7, 7.1
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: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-46273
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-c3jf-v88j-7gvj
- 2026-10-25 EPSS moved to the below the 50th percentile
References
Patch 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/86fc64584811d43c9ccd74447de58620189d8b77
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a5e984d7af910e46dcbed3ce77873e000a4f77d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1cdf5dbcec988d06f5f720bdf89e91073f77fa10
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/82bc89fbb82d9396fb4eaee8720ea85e2e787957
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db8012c631cb845e9ae2b4b531e17d86c9519755
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c1f261863e65b508f37416dfbc5c5d911c9b9233
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3af24f0c4c31f18a4a2d927990759194832bb6e9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc427d24ac6442ffdeafd157a63c7c5b73ed4de4
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Sources
- CVE-2026-46273 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-46273 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-c3jf-v88j-7gvj · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-46273 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences