CVE-2026-23316
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's handling of multipath hash seeds on ARM64 architectures. This vulnerability can lead to a system crash (kernel panic) when the kernel is compiled with specific optimizations, such as Clang with Link-Time Optimization (LTO), due to an alignment fault during memory access. Additionally, a separate issue exists where non-atomic updates to the hash seed can result in a tear-write vulnerability, potentially compromising data integrity. These issues could be triggered under specific conditions related to network multipath hashing.
Statement
This flaw is specific to ARM64 systems running kernels compiled with Clang LTO. The alignment fault occurs when READ_ONCE() on a 4-byte aligned 8-byte structure causes a 64-bit Load-Acquire instruction to execute on a misaligned address. Additionally, the tear-write vulnerability affects atomicity of hash seed updates. Most enterprise deployments use GCC-compiled kernels where this specific issue does not manifest.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity
Technical Impact: Read Memory; Modify Memory
Incorrect pointer scaling will often result in buffer overflow conditions. Confidentiality can be compromised if the weakness is in the context of a buffer over-read or under-read.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.
