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CVE-2026-72057
net/sched: act_ct: preserve tc_skb_cb across defragmentation
Published 2026-08-15 (2 months ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem net/sched. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-72057 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source
| Release | Status | Version | What this means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 12bookworm | fixedDLA-4777-1 · 2026-09-08 · text | 6.1.187-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4777-1 shipped the fix on 2026-09-08, in 6.1.187-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 13trixie | fixed | 6.12.100-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.12.100-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.1.5-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.5-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.1.5-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.5-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
tcf_ct_handle_fragments() calls nf_ct_handle_fragments() without saving and restoring skb->cb. The defrag helper clears IPCB/IP6CB, which aliases the tc_skb_cb/qdisc_skb_cb control buffer. Fragmented traffic through act_ct therefore loses qdisc metadata such as pkt_segs and can trigger WARN_ON_ONCE() in qdisc_pkt_segs() when panic_on_warn is enabled. Save and restore the full tc_skb_cb around nf_ct_handle_fragments(), matching the pattern used by ovs_ct_handle_fragments().
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/sched/act_ct.c
- What this is
- TC subsystemMAINTAINERS section matched on net/sched/ · netdev@vger.kernel.org · Maintained
- Kernel module
- act_ct
Check it on the machine
grep -w CONFIG_NET_ACT_CT /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 act_ctPrints 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, sidm
- m
- a loadable module on every flavour - check lsmod, can be blacklisted
- Build switch
- CONFIG_NET_ACT_CT
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
- 2026-08-15 (2 months ago)source
- CVSS
- 8.2 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- network (AV:N)source
- EPSS
- 0.58%, higher than 46.8% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- not yet assignedsource
- Subsystem
- net/sched
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 5.15.13 | 5.15.217 | fb080b6f5483 |
| 5.16 | 6.1.184 | 67d6b00a5444 |
| 5.16 | 6.6.145 | 2400c4b05d58 |
| 5.16 | 6.12.97 | 5c3ae5f6c7c6 |
| 5.16 | 6.18.40 | b3d835407846 |
| 5.16 | 7.1.5 | f7f45ceb855d |
| 5.16 | 7.2 | 9092e15defbe |
Debian advisories
| Advisory | Date | Shipped to | Debian |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLA-4777-1 | 2026-09-08 | bookworm 6.1.187-1 | tracker |
Why the CNA scored it this way
Quoted from the kernel CNA's own scoring file, word for word. A highlighted metric carries the most severe value CVSS v3.1 defines for it, which is what pushes the score up. source
- AV:NAttack vector, network
- The bug fires in tcf_ct_act() on the packet datapath (sch_handle_ingress/egress → tc_run → tcf_classify) when IP fragments arrive; on OVN/Kubernetes/SDN gateways and mlx5 offload nodes with act_ct already installed, a remote peer triggers it by sending fragmented traffic with no local access.
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- The attacker fully controls fragment boundaries and ordering; nf_ct_handle_fragments() memset of IPCB/IP6CB that aliases tc_skb_cb runs deterministically on each matching fragment through the configured ct action without races or memory-layout dependencies.
- PR:NPrivileges required, none
- Installing act_ct requires CAP_NET_ADMIN, but triggering the bug on an already-configured internet-facing or tenant-facing gateway needs no target credentials; a remote attacker only sends crafted IP fragments, matching CNA precedent for packet-driven act_ct issues (e.g., CVE-2023-52610).
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- Exploitation requires only attacker-generated fragmented packets reaching a host with act_ct on clsact/ingress; no victim login, mount, or other interactive action is needed.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- WARN/panic and corrupted qdisc/tc metadata occur entirely within the host kernel security domain; this is not a VM escape, sandbox breakout, or IOMMU boundary bypass.
- C:NConfidentiality impact, none
- memset(IPCB/IP6CB) zeroes tc_skb_cb/qdisc_skb_cb fields in place without out-of-bounds read or use-after-free; no kernel memory contents are disclosed to the attacker, only skb control-block metadata is clobbered.
- I:LIntegrity impact, low
- Clearing pkt_segs, pkt_len, post_ct, and zone corrupts tc/qdisc state consumed by bstats_update, sch_cake/sch_qfq, and cls_flower zone matching, enabling attacker-driven mis-accounting and mis-handling of packets on the affected path.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- Zeroed pkt_segs makes qdisc_pkt_segs() hit DEBUG_NET_WARN_ON_ONCE when it disagrees with GSO segment count; with panic_on_warn enabled this kernel-panics the host, and the condition is repeatable with sustained fragmented traffic.