netfilter: nf_conntrack_irc: fix parse_dcc() off-by-one OOB read
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · None
- 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_irc: fix parse_dcc() off-by-one OOB read parse_dcc() treats data_end as an inclusive end pointer, but its only caller passes data_limit = ib_ptr + datalen, which points one past the last valid byte. The newline search loop iterates while tmp <= data_end, so when no newline is present, *tmp is read at tmp == data_end, one byte beyond the region filled by skb_header_pointer(). irc_buffer is kmalloc'd as MAX_SEARCH_SIZE + 1 bytes and datalen is capped at MAX_SEARCH_SIZE, so the stray read does not fault. The byte is uninitialized or stale; if it contains an ASCII digit, simple_strtoul will consume it and produce a wrong DCC IP or port in the conntrack expectation. The extra allocation byte is also a fragile guard: if the cap or allocation size changes, this becomes a real out-of-bounds read. Change the loop and its post-loop check to use strict less-than, consistent with the caller's exclusive-end convention. Update the function comment accordingly.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- 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 | 2.6.12 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 2.6.12 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-2026-80603
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-66q8-v4rr-393c
- 2026-10-18 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-24 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-24 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/abb8c32b88ea3f46beb68c34fe9a3ac8ed664e7e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/437e0a3854b3a44ec15afa9ab88ec215adf3a2fd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/910c33e4a8c046c3cc1fa5a465a4d41a1bb398f1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b70f61f569bb29acb380e6f616a1bbdee15668f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2393f0bd7a467ad475598f3a5b9de27ca36e3037
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aff589556ed772cb1c0c2d7b4d91ec45c0c39416
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eeef3b81f449560653662df2dde6f6fe247c5365
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ef6400ca25a13fd6dedbe8ef4a1d0979bbbfe88a
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Sources
- CVE-2026-80603 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-80603 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-66q8-v4rr-393c · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-80603 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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