CVE-2026-72250
Received Received - Intake

BaseFortify

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-72250, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-08-15

Last updated on: 2026-08-15

Assigner: kernel.org

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.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published
2026-08-15
Last Modified
2026-08-15
Generated
2026-08-15
AI Q&A
2026-08-15
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux_kernel linux_kernel *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

AI Quick Actions

Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves improper handling of IPv6 fragment reassembly in the netfilter connection tracking system. The issue occurs when adjusting the mac_header field after IPv6 defragmentation. The code unconditionally adds the size of a fragment header to skb->mac_header without checking if a link-layer header exists, causing mac_header to wrap around to a small value and incorrectly report a MAC header is present.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to packet processing errors, potential crashes, or incorrect network traffic handling in systems using the affected Linux kernel components. It may cause network connectivity issues or security policy misconfigurations due to the incorrect mac_header state.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the fix for CVE-2026-72250 to address the netfilter fragment reassembly issue.

Chat Assistant

Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-72250. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70

EPSS Chart