Integer underflow in Linux kernel GUE REMCSUM offset handling
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
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 4.0 is affected by a flaw in the GUE REMCSUM option handling. The checksum start and field offsets are not checked for order, so an offset smaller than the start underflows a u16 checksum offset. A forwarded packet with reversed offsets can make the kernel write two bytes about 64 KiB beyond a destination buffer.
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: net: gue: reject invalid REMCSUM offsets The REMCSUM option carries an absolute checksum start and checksum field offset. gue_remcsum() passes them to skb_remcsum_process(), whose partial path stores offset - start in the u16 skb->csum_offset variable. If offset is less than start, this underflows. A forwarded packet can retain CHECKSUM_PARTIAL and reach a NETIF_F_HW_CSUM driver which trusts the metadata, leading skb_copy_and_csum_dev() to write two bytes about 64 KiB beyond the destination buffer. Reject reversed tuples in validate_gue_flags(), after the existing length validation, so all GUE parsers enforce the ordering in one place.
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 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 or 7.3, using the fixed version for the stable branch in use.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- 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 →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- 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-2026-98621
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-2cjw-phmm-3745
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-31 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4b9bc21b2396c396d88dd909caaf73d5be6ff593
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/43efb1f997e976f386aa89716f55870cd2cff9ad
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1eeec0c51fd5598da44080ed96bbd9880021c28b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d664be4ca49d1696e85239236f4988dfc4653c3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/97f907203321eee2cc9132d5c9eb47698fb41d35
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40aeafbcbc7bc4018e8f74bbbb4d29ed8846f57f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c20f755338ca234e523dfc943719f194dfc1f903
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2566866fc30965d915d0b52b5c3323b362619f0e
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- 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-2026-98621 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98621 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-2cjw-phmm-3745 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98621 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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