NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel IPv6 rpfilter
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 6 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 3.3 before the fixed releases is affected. The IPv6 rpfilter lookup can return a route with no inet6_dev, and the code then dereferences it as NULL. An unprivileged user in a private user and network namespace can crash the kernel this way.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: ip6t_rpfilter: reject routes without inet6_dev ip6_route_lookup() can return an error-free route whose rt6i_idev is NULL. Lowering an external nexthop device's MTU below IPV6_MIN_MTU tears down its inet6_dev while fib6_ifdown() leaves routes using nexthop objects in the FIB. An unprivileged user can construct this state with rtnetlink in a private user and network namespace, then trigger a NULL dereference through an IPv6 rpfilter lookup: Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000 KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] RIP: rpfilter_mt (net/ipv6/netfilter/ip6t_rpfilter.c:75) Call Trace: ip6t_do_table (net/ipv6/netfilter/ip6_tables.c:316) nf_hook_slow (net/netfilter/core.c:619) ipv6_rcv (net/ipv6/ip6_input.c:351) __netif_receive_skb_one_core (net/core/dev.c:6216) process_backlog (net/core/dev.c:6680) __napi_poll (net/core/dev.c:7739) net_rx_action (net/core/dev.c:7959) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:622) do_softirq.part.0 (kernel/softirq.c:523) __local_bh_enable_ip (kernel/softirq.c:450) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4913) packet_sendmsg (net/packet/af_packet.c:3139) __sys_sendto (net/socket.c:2252) __x64_sys_sendto (net/socket.c:2259) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:121) Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt Reject routes without an inet6_dev immediately after lookup. Such routes are not eligible for reverse-path filtering, and the check protects all later rt6i_idev dereferences.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Upgrade the Linux kernel to 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 or 7.3, depending on the release branch. Red Hat lists the plan as none available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, 8, 9 and 10 and for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and 5.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9, 7.3
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 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Timeline
- 2026-10-09 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98379
- 2026-10-09 Alias added: GHSA-pm3c-rj84-8w7w
- 2026-10-11 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-11 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-01 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f4de78756b0fddbd125b2b1b77c74f2eccc8e977
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1681ab6dd1271f2f36047490793b78b1848bbcc9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/65487e9e99431ffcf05024a817f51ee4e3bd9b47
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f49da48bd679cfee646d6a40dd02b1933de577d1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/290c96e5d9471d1ded9ab1e8ffbb04f6ee7b0f40
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eafe081ea77d25b5c8e601680671b4ecb4520e7d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a7384bc2e66217c9a01a392281334f4423740a0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1b9b5323725e458906c7620a3bc10398b51ad954
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98379 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98379 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-pm3c-rj84-8w7w · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98379 · 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