Linux Kernel Missing Initialization of a Variable
CVE-2026-46300 is a high-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 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 3599e6b3cc1ada96883d496a50a210d3afbb6987, 2f2b16022a2e10ca7bccfb98db5ed2ec0f72641c, 9d3e5fd19fe1063bf607219e8562fbd567b8e8d5 as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on October 28, 2026, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.
Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.
What to do
- Update Linux to 3599e6b3cc1ada96883d496a50a210d3afbb6987 or 2f2b16022a2e10ca7bccfb98db5ed2ec0f72641c or 9d3e5fd19fe1063bf607219e8562fbd567b8e8d5 or 78bf6b6bb19541d19fbda6242e7cfe2c682763c0, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP to V3.1.7 or a later version.
- Update SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518F-4 PN/DP MFP to V3.1.7 or a later version.
- CISA's required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 up to, but not including, 3599e6b3cc1ada96883d496a50a210d3afbb6987; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 up to, but not including, 2f2b16022a2e10ca7bccfb98db5ed2ec0f72641c; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 up to, but not including, 9d3e5fd19fe1063bf607219e8562fbd567b8e8d5; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 up to, but not including, 78bf6b6bb19541d19fbda6242e7cfe2c682763c0; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 up to, but not including, 760e1addc27ba1a7beb4a0a7e8b3e9ec49e7a34e; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 up to, but not including, 3bd9e113d50034db99d7ef69fd8e5242d15e414a; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 up to, but not including, 3884358a9286b17f389a72b1426fc4547c23c111; cef401de7be8c4e155c6746bfccf721a4fa5fab9 up to, but not including, f84eca5817390257cef78013d0112481c503b4a3; and 1 more ranges | 3599e6b3cc1ada96883d496a50a210d3afbb6987, 2f2b16022a2e10ca7bccfb98db5ed2ec0f72641c, 9d3e5fd19fe1063bf607219e8562fbd567b8e8d5, 78bf6b6bb19541d19fbda6242e7cfe2c682763c0, 760e1addc27ba1a7beb4a0a7e8b3e9ec49e7a34e, 3bd9e113d50034db99d7ef69fd8e5242d15e414a |
| Red Hat | NVIDIA for RHEL 10 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Telecommunications Update Service | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Update Services for SAP Solutions | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP Solutions | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Update Services for SAP Solutions | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Extended Update Support | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.13 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.14 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.15 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.16 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.17 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.18 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE; 16 further products are omitted here. 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
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- 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:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | NVD |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | CNA |
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: skbuff: preserve shared-frag marker during coalescing skb_try_coalesce() can attach paged frags from @from to @to. If @from has SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG set, the resulting @to skb can contain the same externally-owned or page-cache-backed frags, but the shared-frag marker is currently lost. That breaks the invariant relied on by later in-place writers. In particular, ESP input checks skb_has_shared_frag() before deciding whether an uncloned nonlinear skb can skip skb_cow_data(). If TCP receive coalescing has moved shared frags into an unmarked skb, ESP can see skb_has_shared_frag() as false and decrypt in place over page-cache backed frags. Propagate SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG when skb_try_coalesce() transfers paged frags. The tailroom copy path does not need the marker because it copies bytes into @to's linear data rather than transferring frag descriptors.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Write
The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
- Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.
Timeline
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- CVE record published.
- Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
- Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
References
Patches and release notes
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f2b16022a2e10ca7bccfb98db5ed2ec0f72641c
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3599e6b3cc1ada96883d496a50a210d3afbb6987
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3884358a9286b17f389a72b1426fc4547c23c111
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3bd9e113d50034db99d7ef69fd8e5242d15e414a
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/760e1addc27ba1a7beb4a0a7e8b3e9ec49e7a34e
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/78bf6b6bb19541d19fbda6242e7cfe2c682763c0
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d3e5fd19fe1063bf607219e8562fbd567b8e8d5
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f84eca5817390257cef78013d0112481c503b4a3
Third-party and government advisories
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2026:20032Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19521Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19540Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19568Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19569Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19664Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19666Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19705Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19711Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19875Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20051Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20054Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20087Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20129Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20130Third Party Advisory
Other references
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/13/5Mailing List
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/21/11Mailing List
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/21/12Mailing List
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/21/13Mailing List
Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.4 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
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