Critical severity · published May 21, 2026
CVE-2026-43501
ipv6: rpl: reserve mac_len headroom when recompressed SRH grows
9.8
CVSS
0.7%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ipv6: rpl: reserve mac_len headroom when recompressed SRH grows
ipv6_rpl_srh_rcv() decompresses an RFC 6554 Source Routing Header, swaps
the next segment into ipv6_hdr->daddr, recompresses, then pulls the old
header and pushes the new one plus the IPv6 header back. The
recompressed header can be larger than the received one when the swap
reduces the common-prefix length the segments share with daddr (CmprI=0,
CmprE>0, seg[0][0] != daddr[0] gives the maximum +8 bytes).
pskb_expand_head() was gated on segments_left == 0, so on earlier
segments the push consumed unchecked headroom. Once skb_push() leaves
fewer than skb->mac_len bytes in front of data,
skb_mac_header_rebuild()'s call to:
skb_set_mac_header(skb, -skb->mac_len);
will store (data - head) - mac_len into the u16 mac_header field, which
wraps to ~65530, and the following memmove() writes mac_len bytes ~64KiB
past skb->head.
A single AF_INET6/SOCK_RAW/IPV6_HDRINCL packet over lo with a two
segment type-3 SRH (CmprI=0, CmprE=15) reaches headroom 8 after one
pass; KASAN reports a 14-byte OOB write in ipv6_rthdr_rcv.
Fix this by expanding the head whenever the remaining room is less than
the push size plus mac_len, and request that much extra so the rebuilt
MAC header fits afterwards.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.7% · higher than 54% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
KE
Kernel · Linux
5.7 before 5.10.258; 5.11 before 5.15.209; 5.16 before 6.1.175; 6.2 before 6.6.140; 6.7 before 6.12.86; 6.13 before 6.18.27; +2 more · source: NVD
LI
Linux · Linux
8610c7c6e3bd647ff98d21c8bc0580e77bc2f8b3 before bde199c72d319a4e207f88daabc888317504e2fb; 8610c7c6e3bd647ff98d21c8bc0580e77bc2f8b3 before be1fa0aa9b4fdd5a8b7a61ba520a690a68391e6e; 8610c7c6e3bd647ff98d21c8bc0580e77bc2f8b3 before 0a9e8053f1f8a8e1bfc1dd61ffe67be6c1180402; 8610c7c6e3bd647ff98d21c8bc0580e77bc2f8b3 before 8e8be63465a5e80394c70324603dfea1bfdad48f; 8610c7c6e3bd647ff98d21c8bc0580e77bc2f8b3 before 4babc2d9fda2df43823b85d08a0180b68f1b0854; 8610c7c6e3bd647ff98d21c8bc0580e77bc2f8b3 before c261d07a80576dc8ccf394ef8f074f8c67a06b37; +3 more · source: vendor
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
SS
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.6; V3.1.7; V3.1.6; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
SS
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518F-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.6; V3.1.7; V3.1.6; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
SS
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.6; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43501
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43501
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a9e8053f1f8a8e1bfc1dd61ffe67be6c1180402
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4babc2d9fda2df43823b85d08a0180b68f1b0854
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7398ebefbfd4f8a31d4f665a4213302fa995494b
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8e8be63465a5e80394c70324603dfea1bfdad48f
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e6bf146b55999a095bb14f73a843942456d1adc
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bde199c72d319a4e207f88daabc888317504e2fb
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