Incorrect header length in Linux kernel gve driver for UDP GSO
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
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel gve driver computes the header length of UDP GSO packets with the TCP header length. In gve_can_send_tso(), skb_tcp_all_headers() reads a TCP header that SKB_GSO_UDP_L4 packets do not have, so the length is wrong. This misestimates the buffers per segment, which can disable GSO for a packet without need or let the driver pass segments that span more than GVE_TX_MAX_DATA_DESCS buffers. Linux kernel versions from 7.1 are affected.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gve: DQO: fix header length used by gve_can_send_tso() for UDP GSO gve_can_send_tso() computes how many buffers each segment of a GSO packet would span, and for this it needs the length of the headers that the device replicates in front of every segment. It unconditionally uses skb_tcp_all_headers(), which reads the doff field of the TCP header. SKB_GSO_UDP_L4 packets have no TCP header: tcp_hdrlen() then reads one byte of the UDP payload, and header_len can be anything in [0, 60] instead of the transport offset plus the eight bytes of the UDP header that gve_prep_tso() programs into the TSO context descriptor. A wrong header length shifts all the segment boundaries computed in the loop, so the number of buffers per segment can be over or under estimated. In the first case, GSO is needlessly disabled for this packet by gve_features_check_dqo() and the stack has to segment it. In the second case, the driver hands the device a packet whose segments span more than GVE_TX_MAX_DATA_DESCS buffers. Use the UDP header length for SKB_GSO_UDP_L4 packets, matching what gve_prep_tso() does.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to 7.2.9 or 7.3. Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 as affected with no fix available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 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 |
Not affected: 6 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98557
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-jvwf-rjpr-3g5x
- 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
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98557 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98557 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-jvwf-rjpr-3g5x · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98557 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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