netfilter: nf_conntrack_reasm: guard mac_header adjustment after IPv6 defrag
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 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_reasm: guard mac_header adjustment after IPv6 defrag nf_ct_frag6_reasm() slides the packet head forward to drop the IPv6 fragment header and then unconditionally advances skb->mac_header: skb->mac_header += sizeof(struct frag_hdr); On the NF_INET_LOCAL_OUT defrag path the skb has no link-layer header yet, so skb->mac_header is still the "not set" sentinel (u16)~0U. Adding sizeof(struct frag_hdr) wraps it to a small value (0xffff + 8 == 7), after which skb_mac_header_was_set() wrongly reports a MAC header is present and skb_mac_header() points into the headroom. The reassembler has done this unconditional add since it was introduced; it was harmless while mac_header was a bare pointer, but wrong once mac_header became a u16 offset whose unset state is the ~0U sentinel tested by skb_mac_header_was_set(). The sibling net/ipv6/reassembly.c does the same relocation and does guard the adjustment; mirror the guard here.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
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 | 2.6.15 and later | 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.15 and later Fixed in 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2
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 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| 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 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-72250
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9f37-2xqv-pf7f
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e8cd710ca35c576f5f2e5a396047c9ac61f75e5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a95ec21824a8ad81ad660b12231456fc0ac9830
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bbcdef2061b170af45702ce6b359c02c12acfc94
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd0d7bbc027b4d3329712cdcdeb4e5567ffd0d58
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/53ef70a315420ed31581d38343684b3bf9a3c76d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a58230f3a7c4f6c3261786bc1efb72c42e68cd25
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/00bdce2fda7e430d24cfbc96764a1b96deb31f82
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b08fed5b7e0d5e3a25d73ef3ba09cd33ade16c9
More Linux vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- 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
Sources
- CVE-2026-72250 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-72250 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9f37-2xqv-pf7f · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-72250 · 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