Critical severity · published Aug 15, 2026
CVE-2026-72398
sctp: add INIT verification after cookie unpacking
9.8
CVSS
0.7%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
sctp: add INIT verification after cookie unpacking
In SCTP handshake, the INIT chunk is initially processed by the server
and embedded into the cookie carried in INIT-ACK. The client then
returns this cookie via COOKIE-ECHO, where the server unpacks it and
reconstructs the original INIT chunk.
When cookie authentication is enabled, the cookie contents are protected
against tampering, so reusing the unpacked INIT without re-verification
is safe.
However, when cookie authentication is disabled, the reconstructed INIT
can no longer be trusted. In this case, the INIT must be explicitly
validated after unpacking to avoid processing potentially tampered data.
Add sctp_verify_init() checks after cookie unpacking in COOKIE-ECHO
processing paths (sctp_sf_do_5_1D_ce() and sctp_sf_do_5_2_4_dupcook())
when cookie_auth_enable is disabled. On failure, the new association is
freed and the packet is discarded.
Also tighten cookie validation in sctp_unpack_cookie() by verifying the
embedded chunk type is SCTP_CID_INIT before treating it as an INIT
chunk.
Finally, update sctp_verify_init() to validate parameter bounds using
the actual embedded INIT length instead of chunk->chunk_end, since the
INIT stored in COOKIE-ECHO may not span the entire chunk buffer.
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 55% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
LI
Linux · Linux
1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 before 81892d83cc897331510f35b30d17f8b0dc285966; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 before 683a012b984fef4bc155e278742fbe01561e102a; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 before bca3100f550281c2f2418652338bced3b35af0e6; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 before 062bcbf8d1f1051fdeb20b94920031b0e2cb95a2; 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 before 414c5447fe6a200613dd46d7fdc8454622076cb1; 2.6.12 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72398
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72398
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/062bcbf8d1f1051fdeb20b94920031b0e2cb95a2
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/414c5447fe6a200613dd46d7fdc8454622076cb1
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/683a012b984fef4bc155e278742fbe01561e102a
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/81892d83cc897331510f35b30d17f8b0dc285966
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bca3100f550281c2f2418652338bced3b35af0e6
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