High severity · published May 23, 2026
CVE-2026-43503
net: skbuff: propagate shared-frag marker through frag-transfer helpers
8.8
CVSS
2%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: skbuff: propagate shared-frag marker through frag-transfer helpers
Two frag-transfer helpers (__pskb_copy_fclone() and skb_shift()) fail
to propagate the SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG bit in skb_shinfo()->flags when
moving frags from source to destination. __pskb_copy_fclone() defers
the rest of the shinfo metadata to skb_copy_header() after copying
frag descriptors, but that helper only carries over gso_{size,segs,
type} and never touches skb_shinfo()->flags; skb_shift() moves frag
descriptors directly and leaves flags untouched. As a result, the
destination skb keeps a reference to the same externally-owned or
page-cache-backed pages while reporting skb_has_shared_frag() as
false.
The mismatch is harmful in any in-place writer that uses
skb_has_shared_frag() to decide whether shared pages must be detoured
through skb_cow_data(). ESP input is one such writer (esp4.c,
esp6.c), and a single nft 'dup to <local>' rule -- or any other
nf_dup_ipv4() / xt_TEE caller -- is enough to land a pskb_copy()'d
skb in esp_input() with the marker stripped, letting an unprivileged
user write into the page cache of a root-owned read-only file via
authencesn-ESN stray writes.
Set SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG on the destination whenever frag descriptors
were actually moved from the source. skb_copy() and skb_copy_expand()
share skb_copy_header() too but linearize all paged data into freshly
allocated head storage and emerge with nr_frags == 0, so
skb_has_shared_frag() returns false on its own; they need no change.
The same omission exists in skb_gro_receive() and skb_gro_receive_list().
The former moves the incoming skb's frag descriptors into the
accumulator's last sub-skb via two paths (a direct frag-move loop and
the head_frag + memcpy path); the latter chains the incoming skb whole
onto p's frag_list. Downstream skb_segment() reads only
skb_shinfo(p)->flags, and skb_segment_list() reuses each sub-skb's
shinfo as the nskb -- both p and lp must carry the marker.
The same omission also exists in tcp_clone_payload(), which builds an
MTU probe skb by moving frag descriptors from skbs on sk_write_queue
into a freshly allocated nskb. The helper falls into the same family
and warrants the same fix for consistency; no TCP TX-side in-place
writer is currently known to reach a user page through this gap, but
a future consumer depending on the marker would regress silently.
The same omission exists in skb_segment(): the per-iteration flag
merge takes only head_skb's flag, and the inner switch that rebinds
frag_skb to list_skb on head_skb-frags exhaustion does not fold the
new frag_skb's flag into nskb. Fold frag_skb's flag at both sites
so segments drawing frags from frag_list members carry the marker.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Changed
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)2.0% · higher than 81% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
KE
Kernel · Linux
3.9 before 5.10.257; 5.11 before 5.15.208; 5.16 before 6.1.174; 6.2 before 6.6.141; 6.7 before 6.12.91; 6.13 before 6.18.33; +5 more · source: NVD
LI
Linux · Linux
cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 before fbeab9555564a1b98e8582cd106dfe46c4606991; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 before 179f1852bdedc300e373e807cc102cd81feff196; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 before 12401fcfb01f53ccc63ab0a3246570fe8f3105ee; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 before 989214c66884d70716d83dc1d0bf5e16287bf349; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 before fc6eb39c55e97df2f94ad974b8a5bbcd019da2c8; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 before ff375cc75f9167168db38e0464a482d5fbc8d81d; +3 more · source: vendor
NF
NVIDIA for RHEL 10 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
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 8 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Telecommunications Update Service · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Update Services for SAP Solutions · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: CISA
In the news
VulnerabilityHigh
DirtyClone: Fourth Linux Kernel Flaw in Six Weeks Escalates to Root
DirtyClone: a Linux kernel privilege escalation that silently rewrites executables in memory, leaving no disk trace. Patch now. JFrog Security Research published a working exploit walkthrough on June 25 for CVE-2026-43503 (CVSS score of 8.8), a Linux kernel privilege escalation they call DirtyClone. It’s the fourth vulnerability in the DirtyFrag family, all sharing the same […]
Jun 27, 2026·Security Affairs
VulnerabilityHigh
New DirtyClone Linux Kernel Flaw Lets Local Users Gain Root via Cloned Packets
DirtyClone is a new Linux kernel privilege escalation in the DirtyFrag family. JFrog Security Research published a working exploit walkthrough for the flaw on June 25, the first public demonstration for this variant.
Tracked as CVE-2026-43503 (CVSS 8.8), it lets a local user corrupt file-backed memory through a cloned network packet and gain root. The patch landed in
Jun 26, 2026·The Hacker News
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43503
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43503
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/12401fcfb01f53ccc63ab0a3246570fe8f3105ee
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/179f1852bdedc300e373e807cc102cd81feff196
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/48f6a5356a33dd78e7144ae1faef95ffc990aae0
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/989214c66884d70716d83dc1d0bf5e16287bf349
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9bc9d6d6967a2239aa57af2aa53554eddd640d20
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fbeab9555564a1b98e8582cd106dfe46c4606991
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