CVE-2026-80725: net: gro: properly validate BIG TCP aggregation criteria
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: gro: properly validate BIG TCP aggregation criteria
When GRO attempts to aggregate packets beyond GROLEGACYMAXSIZE (64KB), BIG TCP should only be permitted for plain IPv4 TCP and plain IPv6 TCP (with sufficient MAC header room to insert the temporary HBH jumbo header).
However, commit b1a78b9b9886 ("net: add support for ipv4 big tcp") loosened the check in skbgroreceive(), leading to several issues:
1. skbgroreceive() checked skbheadroom(p) instead of the actual space before the MAC header (p->macheader). Because skbheadroom(p) includes maclen, crafted frames (e.g. injected via AFPACKET) can pass the check with p->macheader < 8 bytes. When ipv6grocomplete() inserts the temporary HBH jumbo header, the memmove() starts before skb->head, causing an out-of-bounds write and wrapping skb->macheader. 2. It allowed non-IP protocols such as software VLAN (ETHP8021Q / ETHP8021AD) to aggregate beyond 64KB because p->protocol != ETHPIPV6 was true. 3. It checked p->encapsulation instead of NAPIGROCB(skb)->encapmark, allowing encapsulated flows (e.g. SIT / IPv6-in-IPv4) to aggregate beyond 64KB.
Fix skbgroreceive() to strictly enforce: - NAPIGROCB(skb)->proto == IPPROTOTCP - Not encapsulated (!NAPIGROCB(skb)->encapmark && !p->encapsulation) - Protocol must be either ETHPIP or ETHPIPV6 - If ETHPIPV6, p->macheader must be at least sizeof(struct hopjumbohdr)
Returning -E2BIG from skbgroreceive() ensures that packets which cannot become BIG TCP are cleanly flushed at <= 64KB and delivered intact without dropping.
This issue does not exist in mainline (7.0+) because the subsystem was rewritten in commit 81be30c1f5f2 ("net/ipv6: Drop HBH for BIG TCP on RX side"), making this fix relevant only for older stable branches like 6.18.y.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
debian/linuxto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.1.190-1Fixed in 6.12.107-1Fixed in 6.12.115-2Fixed in 7.2.12-1Fixed in 7.2.15-1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
debian/linux-6.12to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.12.113-1~deb12u1 - Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 7.0+Patch 81be30c1f5f2
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is realistically exposed to this issue?
Systems using Linux kernel GRO that can process crafted traffic are exposed, particularly where packets can be injected through AF_PACKET. Encapsulated traffic such as SIT or IPv6-in-IPv4, and software VLAN traffic, are also relevant because they could incorrectly be aggregated beyond 64 KB.
What conditions are required for the out-of-bounds write?
GRO must attempt aggregation beyond the 64 KB legacy maximum, and a crafted frame must pass the incorrect headroom check while having fewer than 8 bytes before its MAC header. During IPv6 GRO completion, insertion of the temporary hop-by-hop jumbo header can then cause memmove() to write before the skb buffer head.
How can I determine whether a system needs the fix?
Check whether the running Linux kernel includes the stable commits 37a5dcd6837fc2afc44a7bc3ed8af4e983783d46, e907bf694ed55bdfe421be99dba35751a655df25, or 03cb8cc2961f5f781d12e903782cb3815ed84b1c. The provided information does not identify affected or fixed kernel version numbers.