sctp: add INIT verification after cookie unpacking
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-72398 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | Linux |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-08-15 06:22:13 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-08-17 06:19:06 UTC |
| 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. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 9.8 CRITICAL from 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS: 0.007040000 probability, percentile 0.502860000 (date 2026-08-17)
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | Secondary | 9.8 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 9.8 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 bca3100f550281c2f2418652338bced3b35af0e6 git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 062bcbf8d1f1051fdeb20b94920031b0e2cb95a2 git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 414c5447fe6a200613dd46d7fdc8454622076cb1 git | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | affected 2.6.12 | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 2.6.12 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 6.18.40 6.18.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 7.1.5 7.1.* semver | Not specified |
| CNA | Linux | Linux | unaffected 7.2 * original_commit_for_fix | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/062bcbf8d1f1051fdeb20b94920031b0e2cb95a2 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/bca3100f550281c2f2418652338bced3b35af0e6 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| git.kernel.org/stable/c/414c5447fe6a200613dd46d7fdc8454622076cb1 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 | git.kernel.org | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.