UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98371: Medium severity ubuntu/linux-hwe-edge vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: iptfs: fix runt reassembly panic from short inner totlen When the start of an inner packet is split across two outer packets such that fewer than 4 bytes land at the end of the first one, inputprocesspayload() saves those bytes as a runt and skips the iplen/iphlen validation performed for in-place packets. When the continuation packet arrives, iptfsreassemcont() only requires the declared inner length to be >= sizeof(rarunt) (6) before allocating the reassembly skb with that attacker-controlled length. However, iptfsiphlen() always returns the fixed minimum IP header size (20 for IPv4, 40 for IPv6), so for an inner IPv4 totlen in [6, 19] the header-completion copy writes past the declared packet length, and the subsequent "ipremain -= copylen" underflows to ~4GB, leaving the payload copy length bounded only by blkoff (up to 64KB). At runtime the skbput() tailroom check turns this into skboverpanic(), i.e. an unprivileged kernel panic (DoS), reachable locally via userns+netns IPTFS SAs and remotely against IPTFS VPN gateways when the decrypted outer skb is linear (e.g. AFPACKET taps, tun/tap delivery). Align the runt path with the normal path by requiring the declared inner length to cover at least the IP header size. This also subsumes the previous >= sizeof(rarunt) check, since the minimum IP header is always larger than the runt buffer. This issue was found by the autokbug dynamic kernel fuzzer at Tencent Yunding Lab.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-hwe-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42~24.04.1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-riscv-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42.1~24.04.1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linuxto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-awsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.17 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-gcpto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.18 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-ibmto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-oem-7.0to a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-oracleto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-1015.16 - Upgrade
Upgrade
ubuntu/linux-riscvto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.0.0-42.42.1
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this be exploited remotely, or only by a local user?
Both exposure paths are described. A local unprivileged user can reach it through user and network namespaces with IPTFS security associations, while a remote attacker can target IPTFS VPN gateways when the decrypted outer skb is linear, such as with AF_PACKET taps or tun/tap.
What traffic conditions are required to trigger the denial of service?
The start of an inner packet must be split across two outer packets with fewer than four bytes at the end of the first packet. An IPv4 inner packet declaring a total length from 6 through 19 bytes can then cause an skb_over_panic and kernel panic.