CVE-2026-64566
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's iptfs module, which handles network packet processing. When copying shared packet fragments, a critical flag indicating shared memory is not correctly propagated. This can lead to memory corruption within the kernel, potentially causing the system to crash and resulting in a denial of service.
Statement
A MODERATE severity flaw in the Linux kernel's iptfs (IP Traffic Flow Security) packet processing can cause kernel memory corruption and a system crash, resulting in a denial of service. When iptfs_skb_add_frags() copies fragment references from a source SKB that carries shared fragments (for example, from a page-pool backed receive path) into a new SKB, it increments the page reference count but does not propagate the SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG flag to the destination SKB. The new inner SKB therefore appears to ESP as having privately owned fragments, so a subsequent esp_input() call for a nested transport-mode SA takes the no-copy-on-write fast path and decrypts in place, overwriting pages that are still referenced by the outer IPTFS SKB. Exploitation requires a specific configuration using IP-TFS with a nested transport-mode SA and a receive path that supplies shared fragments; triggering the flaw causes kernel-visible memory corruption that can result in a kernel panic and loss of system availability. Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat In-Vehicle OS are not affected by this flaw because the vulnerable code is not present in the shipped kernel packages. The Red Hat severity (MODERATE, CVSS 5.5) differs from the upstream CVE.org CRITICAL rating (9.8) because exploitation depends on an uncommon IP-TFS configuration with a nested transport-mode SA, the primary impact is availability, and no compromise of confidentiality or integrity has been demonstrated.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
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 | N/A | 9.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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