CVE-2026-98573

Published Oct 18, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: skbuff: fix pull-bound underflow in skb_checksum_setup_ipv6() skb_maybe_pull_tail() subtracts skb_headlen(skb) from the unsigned max argument and passes the result to __pskb_pull_tail() as a signed int. The function does not ensure that max is at least skb_headlen(skb). This can happen while parsing IPv6 extension headers when an skb already has a linear area larger than MAX_IPV6_HDR_LEN. Once the parser needs data beyond the linear area, max - skb_headlen(skb) wraps and is converted to a negative delta. __pskb_pull_tail() then passes that negative length to skb_copy_bits(), where it can become a very large copy length. Pass the requested length itself as the pull bound at the three extension-header call sites, so the delta can no longer go negative.

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References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98573? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: skbuff: fix pull-bound underflow in skb_checksum_setup_ipv6() skb_maybe_pull_tail() subtracts skb_headlen(skb) from the unsigned max argument and passes the result to __pskb_pull_tail() as a signed int. The function does not ensure that max is at least skb_headlen(skb). This can happen while parsing IPv6 extension headers when an skb already has a linear area larger than MAX_IPV6_HDR_LEN. Once the parser needs data beyond the linear area, max - skb_headlen(skb) wraps and is converted to a negative delta. __pskb_pull_tail() then passes that negative length to skb_copy_bits(), where it can become a very large copy length. Pass the requested length itself as the pull bound at the three extension-header call sites, so the delta can no longer go negative.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98573? +
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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