CVE-2026-68288

What the bug is

net_dm_packet_report_fill() and net_dm_hw_packet_report_fill() open code the NET_DM_ATTR_PAYLOAD attribute to avoid zeroing the packet payload before overwriting it with skb_copy_bits(). skb_put() reserves nla_total_size(payload_len), i.e. the header plus the NLA_ALIGN() padding, but only payload_len bytes are copied in. When payload_len is not a multiple of 4 the 1-3 padding bytes are never initialized and are leaked to user space inside the netlink message. KMSAN confirms the leak for the software path when the packet payload length is not 4-byte aligned: BUG: KMSAN: kernel-infoleak in _copy_to_iter _copy_to_iter __skb_datagram_iter skb_copy_datagram_iter netlink_recvmsg sock_recvmsg __sys_recvfrom Uninit was created at: kmem_cache_alloc_node_noprof __alloc_skb net_dm_packet_work Bytes 173-175 of 176 are uninitialized Use __nla_reserve(), which sets up the attribute header and zeroes the padding, instead of open coding the attribute construction.

Where it lives

The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.

net/core/drop_monitor.c

What this is

NETWORK DROP MONITORMAINTAINERS section matched on net/core/drop_monitor.c · netdev@vger.kernel.org · Maintained

Kernel module

drop_monitor

Check it on the machine

grep -w CONFIG_NET_DROP_MONITOR /boot/config-$(uname -r)

Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.

lsmod | grep -w drop_monitor

Prints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian builds this as a loadable module. Every release below compiles it as a module on every flavour, so whether the code is in the running kernel depends on whether that module is loaded.

• bookworm, trixie, forky, sid, bookworm · linux-6.12m

m

a loadable module on every flavour - check lsmod, can be blacklisted

Build switch

CONFIG_NET_DROP_MONITOR

From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages

Signals

Published

2026-08-10 (2 months ago)source

CVSS

no vector published, unrated

Attack vector

not published

EPSS

0.18%, higher than 7.1% of all CVEssource

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

not yet assignedsource

Subsystem

net/core

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

Introduced	Fixed in	Commit
5.4	6.1.189	d427b152b663
5.4	6.6.158	3c0bc7dcc5f9
5.4	6.12.111	05173de42a99
5.4	6.18.53	89178ffe5bdd
5.4	7.1.6	8fd6975d2aec
5.4	7.2	5e9c8baee032

Debian advisories