{"api_version":"1","generated_at":"2026-08-20T20:20:45+00:00","cve":"CVE-2026-72444","urls":{"html":"https://cve.report/CVE-2026-72444","api":"https://cve.report/api/cve/CVE-2026-72444.json","docs":"https://cve.report/api","cve_org":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72444","nvd":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72444"},"summary":{"title":"flow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nflow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS\n\n__skb_flow_dissect() unconditionally reads 12 bytes from eth_hdr(skb)\nwhen FLOW_DISSECTOR_KEY_ETH_ADDRS is requested. This assumes the skb\nhas a valid Ethernet header at mac_header, which is not always the case.\n\nThe problem can be triggered by:\n 1. Creating a TUN device in L3 mode (IFF_TUN, hard_header_len=0)\n 2. Attaching a multiq qdisc with a flower filter matching on eth_src\n 3. Sending a packet through AF_PACKET\n\nSince TUN in L3 mode has no link-layer header, mac_header points to\nthe L3 data area. The flow dissector reads 12 bytes of uninitialized\nskb memory, which then propagates through fl_set_masked_key() and is\nused as a rhashtable lookup key in __fl_lookup(), as reported by KMSAN.\n\nRejecting the filter in the control path (at tc filter add time) is\nnot feasible because TC filter blocks can be shared between arbitrary\ndevices -- a filter installed on an Ethernet device may later classify\npackets on a headerless device through a shared block. The device\nassociation is not fixed at filter creation time.\n\nFix this by gating the memcpy on dev->type == ARPHRD_ETHER, which\nensures only true Ethernet-framed packets have their addresses read.\nThis is more precise than the previous hard_header_len >= 12 check,\nwhich would incorrectly pass for non-Ethernet link types like IPoIB\n(ARPHRD_INFINIBAND, hard_header_len=24) and FDDI (hard_header_len=21)\nwhose L2 headers are not in Ethernet format. Additionally check\nskb_mac_header_was_set() to guard against the pathological case where\nmac_header is the unset sentinel (~0U), which would cause eth_hdr() to\nreturn a wild pointer.\n\nFor the act_mirred redirect case (Ethernet packet redirected to a\nnon-Ethernet device sharing a TC block), zeroing the key is the correct\nbehavior: the packet is now being classified on the target device, where\nEthernet address matching is not semantically meaningful.\n\nNote: on non-Ethernet devices, the zeroed key will match a filter\nconfigured with all-zero MAC addresses. This is an improvement over the\nprevious behavior where uninitialized memory could randomly match any\nfilter.","state":"PUBLISHED","assigner":"Linux","published_at":"2026-08-15 06:22:18","updated_at":"2026-08-17 06:19:11"},"problem_types":[],"metrics":[{"version":"3.1","source":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","type":"Secondary","score":"7.8","severity":"HIGH","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","data":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","attackVector":"LOCAL","attackComplexity":"LOW","privilegesRequired":"LOW","userInteraction":"NONE","scope":"UNCHANGED","confidentialityImpact":"HIGH","integrityImpact":"HIGH","availabilityImpact":"HIGH"}},{"version":"3.1","source":"CNA","type":"DECLARED","score":"7.8","severity":"HIGH","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","data":{"baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","version":"3.1"}}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0fe6455b8e1a22414f39c07bc90a1df12b52ec74","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0fe6455b8e1a22414f39c07bc90a1df12b52ec74","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/594c90b197141944f25991b8314de5c26ee27a7e","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/594c90b197141944f25991b8314de5c26ee27a7e","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/825de39f0c35a112148799b3cbe45af3766c018a","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/825de39f0c35a112148799b3cbe45af3766c018a","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bf6e8af2c8be77489bedeae9f8a9654cb710e500","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bf6e8af2c8be77489bedeae9f8a9654cb710e500","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a65860959db594dfc1820c7fdc09285fb7556bf","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a65860959db594dfc1820c7fdc09285fb7556bf","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c6d3bcb0f934d4297ac5fa1c8656ae40694fb601","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c6d3bcb0f934d4297ac5fa1c8656ae40694fb601","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72444","name":"CVE Program record","refsource":"CVE.ORG","tags":["canonical"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72444","name":"NVD vulnerability detail","refsource":"NVD","tags":["canonical","analysis"]}],"affected":[{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d 0fe6455b8e1a22414f39c07bc90a1df12b52ec74 git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d 9a65860959db594dfc1820c7fdc09285fb7556bf git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d 594c90b197141944f25991b8314de5c26ee27a7e git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d c6d3bcb0f934d4297ac5fa1c8656ae40694fb601 git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d 825de39f0c35a112148799b3cbe45af3766c018a git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d bf6e8af2c8be77489bedeae9f8a9654cb710e500 git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 4.2","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 4.2 semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 6.1.178 6.1.* semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 6.6.145 6.6.* semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 6.12.97 6.12.* semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 6.18.40 6.18.* semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 7.1.5 7.1.* semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 7.2 * original_commit_for_fix","platforms":[]}],"timeline":[],"solutions":[],"workarounds":[],"exploits":[],"credits":[],"nvd_cpes":[],"vendor_comments":[],"enrichments":{"kev":null,"epss":{"cve_year":"2026","cve_id":"72444","cve":"CVE-2026-72444","epss":"0.001380000","percentile":"0.037080000","score_date":"2026-08-17","updated_at":"2026-08-18 00:11:47"},"legacy_qids":[]},"source_records":{"cve_program":{"containers":{"cna":{"affected":[{"defaultStatus":"unaffected","product":"Linux","programFiles":["net/core/flow_dissector.c"],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","vendor":"Linux","versions":[{"lessThan":"0fe6455b8e1a22414f39c07bc90a1df12b52ec74","status":"affected","version":"67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"9a65860959db594dfc1820c7fdc09285fb7556bf","status":"affected","version":"67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"594c90b197141944f25991b8314de5c26ee27a7e","status":"affected","version":"67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"c6d3bcb0f934d4297ac5fa1c8656ae40694fb601","status":"affected","version":"67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"825de39f0c35a112148799b3cbe45af3766c018a","status":"affected","version":"67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"bf6e8af2c8be77489bedeae9f8a9654cb710e500","status":"affected","version":"67a900cc0436d74e7ff89042371760def087680d","versionType":"git"}]},{"defaultStatus":"affected","product":"Linux","programFiles":["net/core/flow_dissector.c"],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","vendor":"Linux","versions":[{"status":"affected","version":"4.2"},{"lessThan":"4.2","status":"unaffected","version":"0","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","status":"unaffected","version":"6.1.178","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"6.6.*","status":"unaffected","version":"6.6.145","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"6.12.*","status":"unaffected","version":"6.12.97","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"6.18.*","status":"unaffected","version":"6.18.40","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"7.1.*","status":"unaffected","version":"7.1.5","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"*","status":"unaffected","version":"7.2","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}]}],"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"cpeMatch":[{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"6.1.178","versionStartIncluding":"4.2","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"6.6.145","versionStartIncluding":"4.2","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"6.12.97","versionStartIncluding":"4.2","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"6.18.40","versionStartIncluding":"4.2","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"7.1.5","versionStartIncluding":"4.2","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"7.2","versionStartIncluding":"4.2","vulnerable":true}],"negate":false,"operator":"OR"}]}],"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nflow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS\n\n__skb_flow_dissect() unconditionally reads 12 bytes from eth_hdr(skb)\nwhen FLOW_DISSECTOR_KEY_ETH_ADDRS is requested. This assumes the skb\nhas a valid Ethernet header at mac_header, which is not always the case.\n\nThe problem can be triggered by:\n 1. Creating a TUN device in L3 mode (IFF_TUN, hard_header_len=0)\n 2. Attaching a multiq qdisc with a flower filter matching on eth_src\n 3. Sending a packet through AF_PACKET\n\nSince TUN in L3 mode has no link-layer header, mac_header points to\nthe L3 data area. The flow dissector reads 12 bytes of uninitialized\nskb memory, which then propagates through fl_set_masked_key() and is\nused as a rhashtable lookup key in __fl_lookup(), as reported by KMSAN.\n\nRejecting the filter in the control path (at tc filter add time) is\nnot feasible because TC filter blocks can be shared between arbitrary\ndevices -- a filter installed on an Ethernet device may later classify\npackets on a headerless device through a shared block. The device\nassociation is not fixed at filter creation time.\n\nFix this by gating the memcpy on dev->type == ARPHRD_ETHER, which\nensures only true Ethernet-framed packets have their addresses read.\nThis is more precise than the previous hard_header_len >= 12 check,\nwhich would incorrectly pass for non-Ethernet link types like IPoIB\n(ARPHRD_INFINIBAND, hard_header_len=24) and FDDI (hard_header_len=21)\nwhose L2 headers are not in Ethernet format. Additionally check\nskb_mac_header_was_set() to guard against the pathological case where\nmac_header is the unset sentinel (~0U), which would cause eth_hdr() to\nreturn a wild pointer.\n\nFor the act_mirred redirect case (Ethernet packet redirected to a\nnon-Ethernet device sharing a TC block), zeroing the key is the correct\nbehavior: the packet is now being classified on the target device, where\nEthernet address matching is not semantically meaningful.\n\nNote: on non-Ethernet devices, the zeroed key will match a filter\nconfigured with all-zero MAC addresses. This is an improvement over the\nprevious behavior where uninitialized memory could randomly match any\nfilter."}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","version":"3.1"},"scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"AV:L - The bug is hit from TC flower classification (fl_classify) on packets injected locally via AF_PACKET through an L3 TUN with mq/flower qdisc; per kernel guidance TC/netlink qdisc paths are Local, not remotely reachable network stack handlers.\nAC:L - Syzbot and the fix commit show reliable reproduction by creating an L3 TUN, attaching a multiq qdisc with a flower eth_src filter, and sending packets via AF_PACKET; the attacker controls every setup step with no races or rare kernel config.\nPR:L - Exploitation requires CAP_NET_ADMIN to create/configure the TUN and install TC flower filters via rtnetlink, plus CAP_NET_RAW for AF_PACKET sockets; both capabilities are obtainable by an unprivileged user inside a user+network namespace (unshare -Urn).\nUI:N - No victim user action is required; exploitation uses attacker-controlled local syscalls (TUN ioctl, rtnetlink TC setup, AF_PACKET sendmsg) in a namespace they create.\nS:U - Impact stays within the kernel networking/TC subsystem of the host or attacker-controlled namespace; it does not cross VM, sandbox, or IOMMU security boundaries.\nC:H - __skb_flow_dissect copies 12 bytes from eth_hdr(skb) when FLOW_DISSECTOR_KEY_ETH_ADDRS is set; on headerless devices (L3 TUN, ARPHRD_NONE) mac_header points at L3 data or unset headroom, leaking uninitialized or out-of-bounds kernel memory into flow keys used by __fl_lookup.\nI:H - Garbage eth address keys flow through fl_set_masked_key into rhashtable lookup and can spuriously match flower filters, invoking unintended TC actions (police drop, skb mark, act_mirred redirect) that alter packet handling beyond the attacker's own data.\nA:H - When mac_header is the unset sentinel (~0U), eth_hdr() becomes a wild pointer and the memcpy can page-fault with a kernel oops/panic; even without fault, mis-matched filters can apply drop/redirect actions that deny or disrupt packet delivery."}]}],"providerMetadata":{"dateUpdated":"2026-08-17T05:44:16.441Z","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux"},"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0fe6455b8e1a22414f39c07bc90a1df12b52ec74"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a65860959db594dfc1820c7fdc09285fb7556bf"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/594c90b197141944f25991b8314de5c26ee27a7e"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c6d3bcb0f934d4297ac5fa1c8656ae40694fb601"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/825de39f0c35a112148799b3cbe45af3766c018a"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bf6e8af2c8be77489bedeae9f8a9654cb710e500"}],"title":"flow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS","x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}},"cveMetadata":{"assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","assignerShortName":"Linux","cveId":"CVE-2026-72444","datePublished":"2026-08-15T05:56:55.229Z","dateReserved":"2026-08-09T03:40:39.930Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-17T05:44:16.441Z","state":"PUBLISHED"},"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2"},"nvd":{"publishedDate":"2026-08-15 06:22:18","lastModifiedDate":"2026-08-17 06:19:11","problem_types":[],"metrics":{"cvssMetricV31":[{"source":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","type":"Secondary","cvssData":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","attackVector":"LOCAL","attackComplexity":"LOW","privilegesRequired":"LOW","userInteraction":"NONE","scope":"UNCHANGED","confidentialityImpact":"HIGH","integrityImpact":"HIGH","availabilityImpact":"HIGH"},"exploitabilityScore":1.8,"impactScore":5.9}]},"configurations":[]},"legacy_mitre":{"record":{"CveYear":"2026","CveId":"72444","Ordinal":"1","Title":"flow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS","CVE":"CVE-2026-72444","Year":"2026"},"notes":[{"CveYear":"2026","CveId":"72444","Ordinal":"1","NoteData":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nflow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS\n\n__skb_flow_dissect() unconditionally reads 12 bytes from eth_hdr(skb)\nwhen FLOW_DISSECTOR_KEY_ETH_ADDRS is requested. This assumes the skb\nhas a valid Ethernet header at mac_header, which is not always the case.\n\nThe problem can be triggered by:\n 1. Creating a TUN device in L3 mode (IFF_TUN, hard_header_len=0)\n 2. Attaching a multiq qdisc with a flower filter matching on eth_src\n 3. Sending a packet through AF_PACKET\n\nSince TUN in L3 mode has no link-layer header, mac_header points to\nthe L3 data area. The flow dissector reads 12 bytes of uninitialized\nskb memory, which then propagates through fl_set_masked_key() and is\nused as a rhashtable lookup key in __fl_lookup(), as reported by KMSAN.\n\nRejecting the filter in the control path (at tc filter add time) is\nnot feasible because TC filter blocks can be shared between arbitrary\ndevices -- a filter installed on an Ethernet device may later classify\npackets on a headerless device through a shared block. The device\nassociation is not fixed at filter creation time.\n\nFix this by gating the memcpy on dev->type == ARPHRD_ETHER, which\nensures only true Ethernet-framed packets have their addresses read.\nThis is more precise than the previous hard_header_len >= 12 check,\nwhich would incorrectly pass for non-Ethernet link types like IPoIB\n(ARPHRD_INFINIBAND, hard_header_len=24) and FDDI (hard_header_len=21)\nwhose L2 headers are not in Ethernet format. Additionally check\nskb_mac_header_was_set() to guard against the pathological case where\nmac_header is the unset sentinel (~0U), which would cause eth_hdr() to\nreturn a wild pointer.\n\nFor the act_mirred redirect case (Ethernet packet redirected to a\nnon-Ethernet device sharing a TC block), zeroing the key is the correct\nbehavior: the packet is now being classified on the target device, where\nEthernet address matching is not semantically meaningful.\n\nNote: on non-Ethernet devices, the zeroed key will match a filter\nconfigured with all-zero MAC addresses. This is an improvement over the\nprevious behavior where uninitialized memory could randomly match any\nfilter.","Type":"Description","Title":"flow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS"}]}}}