CVE-2026-53706
Received Received - Intake

Pointer Arithmetic Flaw in PREVAIL eBPF Verifier

Publication date: 2026-09-02

Last updated on: 2026-09-02

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
PREVAIL is a Polynomial-Runtime EBPF Verifier using an Abstract Interpretation Layer. Prior to version 0.2.4, the prevail eBPF verifier accepts ALU32 ADD and SUB instructions that operate on pointer-typed registers without checking the is64 flag. Because ALU32 arithmetic zero-extends the 32-bit result, the upper half of any pointer is silently destroyed at runtime, yet prevail marks the program as verified safe. Any caller that can submit an eBPF program for verification — including unprivileged users on kernels that permit BPF program loading — can produce a program that passes verification but faults or misbehaves at runtime. This issue has been patched in version 0.2.4.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-02
Last Modified
2026-09-02
Generated
2026-09-02
AI Q&A
2026-09-02
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-53706
EUVD
EUVD-2026-70245

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
vbpf prevail to 0.2.4 (exc)
vbpf prevail 0.2.4

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-682 The product performs a calculation that generates incorrect or unintended results that are later used in security-critical decisions or resource management.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects the PREVAIL eBPF verifier before version 0.2.4. It involves the verifier incorrectly accepting ALU32 ADD and SUB instructions that perform arithmetic on pointer-typed registers without checking the is64 flag. ALU32 operations zero-extend the 32-bit result, destroying the upper half of any pointer. The verifier falsely marks the program as safe, allowing unprivileged users to submit programs that pass verification but crash or misbehave at runtime.

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires checking the version of the PREVAIL eBPF verifier in use. If you are running version 0.2.3 or earlier, the system is vulnerable. Use the command 'prevail --version' to check the installed version. If the output shows a version <= 0.2.3, the system is affected.

Impact Analysis

Any caller with access to the verifier, including unprivileged users on kernels allowing BPF program loading, can exploit this to submit programs that pass verification but fault or misbehave during execution. This could lead to kernel address leaks, corrupted memory access, or system crashes due to pointer corruption.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR or HIPAA as it pertains to a specific eBPF verifier flaw rather than data protection or privacy controls. However, if exploited, it could lead to arbitrary code execution or memory corruption in the kernel, potentially violating integrity and availability requirements under these standards.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade the PREVAIL eBPF verifier to version 0.2.4 or later immediately. This can be done by downloading the latest release from the official repository or using package managers if available. After upgrading, verify the new version is installed correctly.

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