CVE-2026-98096
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's IPv6 networking subsystem. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted IPv6 packets containing a Segment Routing Header (SRH) preceded by additional extension headers. During packet routing and forwarding, improper header offset calculations can cause a buffer overflow, potentially resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) through a system crash.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact for Red Hat products because IPv6 Segment Routing is disabled by default, preventing unconfigured hosts from processing the affected network headers. To be vulnerable, an enterprise deployment must explicitly enable SRv6 support to handle or forward transit traffic with specialized routing extensions. In such configurations, malformed packet chains with multiple preceding extension options can miscalculate internal packet boundaries, triggering memory corruption or a denial-of-service crash.
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 | 7 | N/A | 7.4 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Write operations could cause memory corruption. In some cases, an adversary can modify control data such as return addresses in order to execute unexpected code.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
Attempting to access out-of-range, invalid, or unauthorized memory could cause the product to crash.
Other
Technical Impact: Unexpected State
Subsequent write operations can produce undefined or unexpected results.
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