CVE-2026-90110

CRITICAL
Published Sep 17, 2026 Modified Sep 18, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inetpeer: randomize RB-tree node comparison using SipHash The inetpeer rate limiting system stores peer entries in a Red-Black tree keyed deterministically on the remote IP address. Because tree lookups walk the RB-tree using standard lexicographical comparisons (inetpeer_addr_cmp), an off-path adversary can predict the exact topology of the tree and the sequence of nodes traversed during lookups (the gc_stack candidate list). By combining deterministic tree traversal with aggressive garbage collection (triggered when tree size exceeds inet_peer_threshold), an attacker can selectively force the eviction of targeted inet_peer nodes. When an evicted node is subsequently re-created upon receiving a new packet, its rate-limiting token bucket (rate_tokens, rate_last) is reset to full capacity. This creates a side-channel primitive allowing off-path attackers to bypass IP-keyed ICMP rate limits and infer open UDP ports (similar to SAD DNS style attacks). Mitigate this by randomizing the RB-tree node comparison logic using SipHash with a secret key (inetpeer_hash_key) initialized via net_get_random_once(). Nodes are ordered in the tree by SipHash(addr, key) rather than raw IP addresses. Because the secret key is unknown to external entities, the tree layout and lookup traversal paths are unpredictable to off-path adversaries, breaking the deterministic eviction gadget. Cache the computed 64-bit SipHash (hash) in struct inet_peer and compute the target hash (dhash) once at the beginning of inet_getpeer() to avoid recomputing SipHash at every step of the RB-tree walk.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

9.4
CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0061
Probability of exploitation
0.48%
Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-90110? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inetpeer: randomize RB-tree node comparison using SipHash The inetpeer rate limiting system stores peer entries in a Red-Black tree keyed deterministically on the remote IP address. Because tree lookups walk the RB-tree using standard lexicographical comparisons (inetpeer_addr_cmp), an off-path adversary can predict the exact topology of the tree and the sequence of nodes traversed during lookups (the gc_stack candidate list). By combining deterministic tree traversal with aggressive garbage collection (triggered when tree size exceeds inet_peer_threshold), an attacker can selectively force the eviction of targeted inet_peer nodes. When an evicted node is subsequently re-created upon receiving a new packet, its rate-limiting token bucket (rate_tokens, rate_last) is reset to full capacity. This creates a side-channel primitive allowing off-path attackers to bypass IP-keyed ICMP rate limits and infer open UDP ports (similar to SAD DNS style attacks). Mitigate this by randomizing the RB-tree node comparison logic using SipHash with a secret key (inetpeer_hash_key) initialized via net_get_random_once(). Nodes are ordered in the tree by SipHash(addr, key) rather than raw IP addresses. Because the secret key is unknown to external entities, the tree layout and lookup traversal paths are unpredictable to off-path adversaries, breaking the deterministic eviction gadget. Cache the computed 64-bit SipHash (hash) in struct inet_peer and compute the target hash (dhash) once at the beginning of inet_getpeer() to avoid recomputing SipHash at every step of the RB-tree walk. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.4 (CRITICAL).
How severe is CVE-2026-90110? +
CVE-2026-90110 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.4 out of 10, rated CRITICAL. This is a critical vulnerability that should be patched immediately. The EPSS score is 0.0061, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-90110? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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