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CVE-2026-43450NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Out-of-bounds Read

CVE-2026-43450 is a high-severity out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 0605e1985a95d4334a67869aee45a47e82301abf, 92441f6d9405a0c18d03f278b395e782f79a4a30, 3cc328ffc32ddb389cba7b78b6aa95d995c2876e as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.13% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to 0605e1985a95d4334a67869aee45a47e82301abf or 92441f6d9405a0c18d03f278b395e782f79a4a30 or 3cc328ffc32ddb389cba7b78b6aa95d995c2876e or 4a1f6ee69267a5f524102c028981410eeacfa3da, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 5.10.253 or 5.15.203 or 6.1.167 or 6.6.130, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux12f7a505331e6b2754684b509f2ac8f0011ce644 up to, but not including, 0605e1985a95d4334a67869aee45a47e82301abf; 12f7a505331e6b2754684b509f2ac8f0011ce644 up to, but not including, 92441f6d9405a0c18d03f278b395e782f79a4a30; 12f7a505331e6b2754684b509f2ac8f0011ce644 up to, but not including, 3cc328ffc32ddb389cba7b78b6aa95d995c2876e; 12f7a505331e6b2754684b509f2ac8f0011ce644 up to, but not including, 4a1f6ee69267a5f524102c028981410eeacfa3da; 12f7a505331e6b2754684b509f2ac8f0011ce644 up to, but not including, 894c5780ddadd5fde0e16f66587918e6be1504c4; 12f7a505331e6b2754684b509f2ac8f0011ce644 up to, but not including, 05018cd9370f77bb18fbf6e15ff33c7a06f10b3c; 12f7a505331e6b2754684b509f2ac8f0011ce644 up to, but not including, 61b3a1f8621df1a5928118313f133996f6a786db; 12f7a505331e6b2754684b509f2ac8f0011ce644 up to, but not including, 6dcee8496d53165b2d8a5909b3050b62ae71fe89; and 1 more ranges0605e1985a95d4334a67869aee45a47e82301abf, 92441f6d9405a0c18d03f278b395e782f79a4a30, 3cc328ffc32ddb389cba7b78b6aa95d995c2876e, 4a1f6ee69267a5f524102c028981410eeacfa3da, 894c5780ddadd5fde0e16f66587918e6be1504c4, 05018cd9370f77bb18fbf6e15ff33c7a06f10b3c
LinuxLinux Kernel3.6 up to, but not including, 5.10.253; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.203; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.167; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.130; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.78; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.19; 6.19 up to, but not including, 6.19.9; 7.05.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.167, 6.6.130, 6.12.78, 6.18.19

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
NoneNothing can be modified.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nfnetlink_cthelper: fix OOB read in nfnl_cthelper_dump_table() nfnl_cthelper_dump_table() has a 'goto restart' that jumps to a label inside the for loop body. When the "last" helper saved in cb->args[1] is deleted between dump rounds, every entry fails the (cur != last) check, so cb->args[1] is never cleared. The for loop finishes with cb->args[0] == nf_ct_helper_hsize, and the 'goto restart' jumps back into the loop body bypassing the bounds check, causing an 8-byte out-of-bounds read on nf_ct_helper_hash[nf_ct_helper_hsize]. The 'goto restart' block was meant to re-traverse the current bucket when "last" is no longer found, but it was placed after the for loop instead of inside it. Move the block into the for loop body so that the restart only occurs while cb->args[0] is still within bounds. BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in nfnl_cthelper_dump_table+0x9f/0x1b0 Read of size 8 at addr ffff888104ca3000 by task poc_cthelper/131 Call Trace: nfnl_cthelper_dump_table+0x9f/0x1b0 netlink_dump+0x333/0x880 netlink_recvmsg+0x3e2/0x4b0 sock_recvmsg+0xde/0xf0 __sys_recvfrom+0x150/0x200 __x64_sys_recvfrom+0x76/0x90 do_syscall_64+0xc3/0x6e0 Allocated by task 1: __kvmalloc_node_noprof+0x21b/0x700 nf_ct_alloc_hashtable+0x65/0xd0 nf_conntrack_helper_init+0x21/0x60 nf_conntrack_init_start+0x18d/0x300 nf_conntrack_standalone_init+0x12/0xc0

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Read

The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.

More Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities (CWE-125)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities

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