Out of bounds read in Linux kernel IPv6 extension header parsing
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 7 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel IPv6 stack from version 3.8 is affected. The function ipv6_find_hdr() skips each extension header by its declared length without checking that it fits in the packet, so it can return an offset past the packet end. Open vSwitch then uses that offset as the transport header, so the checksum update reads and writes memory out of bounds. A remote attacker without privileges or user interaction can trigger this, but the attack complexity is high.
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: ipv6: do not let ipv6_find_hdr() return an offset past the packet end ipv6_find_hdr() walks the extension header chain, skipping each header by the length that header itself declares. ipv6_optlen() returns up to 2048, and the skip is never checked against skb->len, so the offset stored in *offset can point past the end of the packet. openvswitch installs that offset as the transport header, and update_ipv6_checksum() then reads and writes the transport checksum field out of bounds: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in inet_proto_csum_replace16+0x445/0x470 Read of size 2 at addr ffff88810b754b06 by task ovs_ipv6_oob/629 CPU: 4 UID: 1000 PID: 629 Comm: ovs_ipv6_oob Tainted: G N 7.3.0-rc3+ #348 Call Trace: inet_proto_csum_replace16+0x445/0x470 set_ipv6_addr+0x3dd/0x460 do_execute_actions+0x6a3d/0x7c40 ovs_execute_actions+0xfd/0x480 ovs_packet_cmd_execute+0xc38/0xf20 genl_rcv_msg+0x59e/0x870 netlink_rcv_skb+0x18b/0x450 genl_rcv+0x2d/0x40 netlink_unicast+0x6bc/0xa20 The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff88810b754980 which belongs to the cache skbuff_small_head of size 704 The buggy address is located 390 bytes inside of freed 704-byte region [ffff88810b754980, ffff88810b754c40) Other callers use that offset too, so bound it here rather than in one caller. Reject a header whose declared length does not fit in the packet. ipv6_find_hdr() already fails with -EBADMSG on a malformed chain, so this adds no new failure mode.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Linux kernel versions 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and 7.3 contain the fix. Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, 8, 9 and 10 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and 5 as affected with no fix available. The sources list no fixed version for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.
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: Important. 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 | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet |
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98532
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-75wf-hf48-gmfv
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-20 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-20 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-24 CVSS score added · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca96b38730e31357ef4a9d76af1336958ac670d7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/531255de8971c06d5d5986f85fdc2525d707ba71
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/543354c6efb27eae3372a3a9674aeaa2a86e2b2c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dc92cb972e86790b8078337ec41015b748b8f8e5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c70275ca87e769e1a52abc644d61372d8c016cb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d42828565889632068fbc2983c34d57c66af4e0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4254d5878c320c19961dd0b8e1d0aca4800d8b7d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee319bd3a0e976af5087cbe59ebc50a66f31d202
More Linux vulnerabilities
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- 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-2026-98532 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98532 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-75wf-hf48-gmfv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98532 · 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