CVE-2026-72251
Received Received - Intake

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Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-72251, 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_nat_sip: reload possible stale data pointer quoting sashiko: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [..] noticed a potential memory bug and header corruption involving the SIP NAT helper. In net/netfilter/nf_nat_sip.c:nf_nat_sip(): if (skb_ensure_writable(skb, skb->len)) { nf_ct_helper_log(skb, ct, "cannot mangle packet"); return NF_DROP; } uh = (void *)skb->data + protoff; uh->dest = ct_sip_info->forced_dport; if (!nf_nat_mangle_udp_packet(skb, ct, ctinfo, protoff, 0, 0, NULL, 0)) { If a cloned or fragmented SKB is reallocated by skb_ensure_writable(), the old data buffer is freed. However, nf_nat_sip() fails to update *dptr to point to the new buffer. It also appears to use nf_nat_mangle_udp_packet() on what could be a TCP packet, which would overwrite the sequence number with a checksum update. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ nf_conntrack_sip linerizes skbs, hence no fragmented skb can be seen. But clones are possible, so rebuild dptr. Disable nf_nat_mangle_udp_packet() branch for TCP streams. It doesn't look like this can ever happen, else we should have received bug reports about this, so just check the conntrack is UDP and drop otherwise. The calling conntrack_sip set ->forced_dport for SIP_HDR_VIA_UDP messages, so I don't think this is ever expected to be true for a TCP stream.

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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

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a memory bug in the SIP NAT helper (netfilter: nf_nat_sip). When a packet is modified by skb_ensure_writable(), the old data buffer may be freed, but the code fails to update a pointer to the new buffer. Additionally, it incorrectly uses a UDP-specific function on TCP packets, risking sequence number corruption.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves memory corruption in the Linux kernel's SIP NAT helper. Detection requires checking kernel logs for SIP-related errors or crashes. Monitor for messages like 'cannot mangle packet' or unexpected packet drops in netfilter logs. Use commands like 'dmesg | grep -i sip' or 'journalctl -k | grep -i sip' to search for related errors.

Impact Analysis

This flaw could lead to packet corruption, crashes, or unexpected behavior in network traffic handling. Attackers might exploit it to disrupt services or bypass security controls relying on SIP/NAT processing.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel patches from your Linux distribution to resolve the issue. If patching is not immediately possible, disable the SIP NAT helper module using 'modprobe -r nf_nat_sip' and block SIP traffic at the firewall until patched. Monitor for any SIP-related crashes or corruption.

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