CVE-2026-68120
Received Received - Intake

TX Hang Workaround in Linux Kernel RTASE Driver

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-10

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rtase: Workaround for TX hang caused by hardware packet parsing The hardware performs packet parsing before packet transmission. Parsing incomplete IPv4, IPv6, TCP, or UDP headers may trigger a TX hang because the hardware parser expects additional protocol header data that is not present in the packet. The hardware performs additional PTP parsing on UDP packets identified by destination ports 319/320 at the expected UDP destination port offset. If such a packet has transport data smaller than RTASE_MIN_PAD_LEN, the hardware parser expects additional packet data and may trigger a TX hang. To avoid these hardware issues, the driver applies the following workarounds. Drop malformed packets that may trigger this hardware issue before transmission. For IPv4 non-initial fragments, the hardware does not check the fragment offset before parsing the expected transport header location. As a result, these packets are still subject to transport header parsing even though they do not contain a transport header. If the transport data is shorter than the minimum transport header required by the hardware parser, pad the transport data to the minimum transport header length required by the hardware parser. Packets that also match the hardware PTP parsing conditions continue to follow the corresponding workaround. For IPv6 fragmented packets, neither of the above hardware issues occurs because the hardware only continues packet parsing when the IPv6 Base Header Next Header field directly indicates UDP. Packets carrying a Fragment Header do not continue through the subsequent packet parsing stages. For packets identified for hardware PTP parsing, pad the transport data so it reaches RTASE_MIN_PAD_LEN before transmission.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-10
Last Modified
2026-08-10
Generated
2026-08-10
AI Q&A
2026-08-10
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-68120
EUVD
EUVD-2026-55501

Affected Vendors & Products

Currently, no data is known.

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Exploitability

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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves a TX hang in the Linux kernel's rtase driver caused by hardware packet parsing issues. The hardware expects complete protocol headers (IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP) or minimum padding for PTP UDP packets (ports 319/320). Malformed packets with insufficient transport data trigger a TX hang as the parser waits for missing header information.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves hardware packet parsing issues in the Linux kernel that may cause TX hangs. Detection requires monitoring for network transmission failures or hangs, particularly with malformed IPv4/IPv6, TCP, or UDP packets. Check kernel logs for TX hang errors or driver-specific warnings related to rtase or packet parsing.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can cause network transmission failures (TX hangs) when malformed packets are processed by affected systems. This may lead to packet loss, degraded network performance, or service disruptions for systems using the rtase driver in the Linux kernel.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the Linux kernel update that resolves this issue. Ensure the driver drops malformed packets before transmission and pads transport data to the required minimum length (RTASE_MIN_PAD_LEN) for affected protocols. For IPv6 fragmented packets, no additional action is needed as the hardware does not exhibit the issue.

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