All vulnerabilities
CVE-2026-97984

Linux: net: ipv6: Fix UDP length overflow with PMTU discover and big MTU

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.17%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 5% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in1dd562f3019019ffdf4b396570613053facda9eeAlso 1d56a00ec91f2885c64ea5b8cea18cb746b91bbb, 0ae10b6be49b425827659b23bcce498f80eb7182CVE List
Published25 Sep 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

  • 1dd562f3019019ffdf4b396570613053facda9eeLinuxCVE List
  • 1d56a00ec91f2885c64ea5b8cea18cb746b91bbbLinuxCVE List
  • 0ae10b6be49b425827659b23bcce498f80eb7182LinuxCVE List

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: ipv6: Fix UDP length overflow with PMTU discover and big MTU

This commit bounds cork->base.fragsize to IP6_MAX_MTU for UDP sockets to avoid a possible overflow of UDP length that triggers a WARN in udp_set_len_short when setsockopt IPV6_MTU_DISCOVER is set to IPV6_PMTUDISC_DO or IPV6_PMTUDISC_PROBE, and a large packet is sent over a netdev with an unusually large MTU.

Steps to reproduce (included in the new selftest):

  1. Set device MTU bigger than IP6_MAX_MTU. cork->base.fragsize will be

set to that MTU in ip6_setup_cork.

  1. Set IPV6_MTU_DISCOVER to IPV6_PMTUDISC_PROBE or IPV6_PMTUDISC_DO. It

lets maxnonfragsize be set to device MTU (cork->fragsize) in __ip6_append_data, rather than to IP6_MAX_MTU.

  1. Send 65528 bytes of payload (+8 bytes of UDP header, +40 bytes of

IPv6 header). Device MTU allows it (it's only one byte bigger than IP6_MAX_MTU, and the device MTU is bigger than that).

  1. The UDP length in the built packet is 65536, which overflows the

16-bit length field and triggers the WARN in udp_set_len_short.

To avoid breaking sending UDP jumbograms over raw IPv6 sockets, limit the change to UDP sockets only.

The original overflow bug with IPv6 and IPV6_PMTUDISC_DO seems to predate git history (verified reproduction on 2.6.21), was fixed later, and then reappeared in commit 427faee167bc ("net: ipv6: introduce ip6_dst_mtu_maybe_forward"), which is chosen as the Fixes tag here. The overflow with IPV6_PMTUDISC_PROBE reproduces since its introduction in commit 628a5c561890 ("[INET]: Add IP(V6)_PMTUDISC_RPOBE").

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 12

  • Linuxaffected: 427faee167bce4ccb0b22f6815a9ac509e31d4c3 before 1dd562f3019019ffdf4b396570613053facda9eeCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 427faee167bce4ccb0b22f6815a9ac509e31d4c3 before 1d56a00ec91f2885c64ea5b8cea18cb746b91bbbCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 427faee167bce4ccb0b22f6815a9ac509e31d4c3 before ce66352d3eb21825410af8b91db7cc4bb8e22c98CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 427faee167bce4ccb0b22f6815a9ac509e31d4c3 before e01b7c176d9af2b7c22bb3fe12cf9a7904f99fdcCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 427faee167bce4ccb0b22f6815a9ac509e31d4c3 before 0ae10b6be49b425827659b23bcce498f80eb7182CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 5.15CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 5.15CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.6.158 through 6.6.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.12.111 through 6.12.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.53 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.7 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 5