CVE-2026-43186: ipv6: ioam: fix heap buffer overflow in __ioam6_fill_trace_data()

Published May 6, 2026
·
Updated

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

ipv6: ioam: fix heap buffer overflow in ioam6filltracedata()

On the receive path, ioam6filltracedata() uses trace->nodelen to decide how much data to write for each node. It trusts this field as-is from the incoming packet, with no consistency check against trace->type (the 24-bit field that tells which data items are present). A crafted packet can set nodelen=0 while setting type bits 0-21, causing the function to write ~100 bytes past the allocated region (into skbsharedinfo), which corrupts adjacent heap memory and leads to a kernel panic.

Add a shared helper ioam6tracecomputenodelen() in ioam6.c to derive the expected nodelen from the type field, and use it:

- in ioam6iptunnel.c (send path, existing validation) to replace the open-coded computation; - in exthdrs.c (receive path, ipv6hopioam) to drop packets whose nodelen is inconsistent with the type field, before any data is written.

Per RFC 9197, bits 12-21 are each short (4-octet) fields, so they are included in IOAM6MASKSHORTFIELDS (changed from 0xff100000 to 0xff1ffc00).

Affected Software

7 affected components
Linux Linux kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=5.15<5.15.202
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.1.165
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.6.128
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.12.75
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.18.16
Linux Linux kernel>=6.19<6.19.6

Event History

May 6, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·11:27 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·11:27 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via NVD·12:16 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·01:06 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-43186?

CVE-2026-43186 has a severity rating that indicates a potential for significant impact due to a heap buffer overflow in the Linux kernel.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-43186?

To fix CVE-2026-43186, update your Linux kernel to the latest version that incorporates the necessary patches.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-43186?

CVE-2026-43186 affects versions of the Linux kernel that utilize the IOAM feature in IPv6.

4

What are the consequences of CVE-2026-43186?

The consequences of CVE-2026-43186 include potential remote code execution or denial of service due to the heap buffer overflow.

5

Is CVE-2026-43186 being actively exploited?

As of the latest updates, there have been no confirmed reports of active exploitation of CVE-2026-43186.

Contact

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