CVE-2026-72250

netfilter: nf_conntrack_reasm: guard mac_header adjustment after IPv6 defrag

HIGH
7.8
CVSS Score
Published: August 15, 2026 at 05:54 AM UTC
Updated: October 16, 2026 at 07:17 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

Using Linux by Linux?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect Linux - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Severity
HIGH7.8
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_conntrack_reasm: guard mac_header adjustment after IPv6 defrag nf_ct_frag6_reasm() slides the packet head forward to drop the IPv6 fragment header and then unconditionally advances skb->mac_header: skb->mac_header += sizeof(struct frag_hdr); On the NF_INET_LOCAL_OUT defrag path the skb has no link-layer header yet, so skb->mac_header is still the "not set" sentinel (u16)~0U. Adding sizeof(struct frag_hdr) wraps it to a small value (0xffff + 8 == 7), after which skb_mac_header_was_set() wrongly reports a MAC header is present and skb_mac_header() points into the headroom. The reassembler has done this unconditional add since it was introduced; it was harmless while mac_header was a bare pointer, but wrong once mac_header became a u16 offset whose unset state is the ~0U sentinel tested by skb_mac_header_was_set(). The sibling net/ipv6/reassembly.c does the same relocation and does guard the adjustment; mirror the guard here.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

2.6.159fb9cbb1082d6b31fb45aa1a14432449a0df6cf1
Vendor states this is fixed in 00bdce2fda7e430d24cfbc96764a1b96deb31f82 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 2a95ec21824a8ad81ad660b12231456fc0ac9830 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 3b08fed5b7e0d5e3a25d73ef3ba09cd33ade16c9 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 53ef70a315420ed31581d38343684b3bf9a3c76d (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6e8cd710ca35c576f5f2e5a396047c9ac61f75e5 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in a58230f3a7c4f6c3261786bc1efb72c42e68cd25 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in bbcdef2061b170af45702ce6b359c02c12acfc94 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in cd0d7bbc027b4d3329712cdcdeb4e5567ffd0d58 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 2.6.15 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.10.261 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.15.212 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.1.178 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.12.97 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.18.40 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6.145 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 7.1.5 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 7.2 (unaffected)

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet, and no fixed version or vendor advisory is recorded against it.

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatableTotal impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

7.8HIGHLinux
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusRECEIVED

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Free plan, no card