CVE-2026-97596
Received Received - Intake

IPVS Connection Template State Validation Bypass

Publication date: 2026-09-25

Last updated on: 2026-09-25

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipvs: reject invalid states in connection template sync records IPVS sync receivers validate protocol states before creating or updating a connection. For connection templates, however, they only log states outside the template state range and still store the value in the connection. A template can be returned by ordinary connection lookup. TCP and SCTP then use the invalid state as an index into their transition tables. Reject invalid template states in both sync protocol versions before looking up or modifying a connection. The version 1 path handles both IPv4 and IPv6 records.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-25
Last Modified
2026-09-25
Generated
2026-09-25
AI Q&A
2026-09-25
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-97596
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86904

Affected Vendors & Products

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

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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 in the Linux kernel involves improper handling of connection template states in IPVS sync records. Normally, states are validated before creating or updating connections, but templates bypass this check. Invalid states can later be used as indexes in TCP or SCTP transition tables, potentially causing errors or unexpected behavior.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this flaw could lead to system instability or crashes by causing invalid memory access when invalid states are used in protocol transition tables. It may also allow unauthorized network activity if an attacker manipulates sync records to trigger the issue.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest patched version to address the IPVS sync protocol vulnerability. Monitor kernel logs for invalid state logs in connection templates. Disable IPVS sync if not required.

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