CVE-2026-98299
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's TCP networking subsystem. A privileged local user can cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by configuring TCP receive buffer limits to an abnormally low value. This improper setting causes the kernel to encounter a division-by-zero error during buffer adjustment calculations when incoming network packets arrive, resulting in a system crash.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact for Red Hat products because triggering the denial of service requires privileged access to modify kernel networking parameters, restricting the blast radius from unprivileged remote attackers. Default installations of Red Hat Enterprise Linux configure TCP receive buffer settings far above the affected threshold, meaning the flaw cannot be triggered unless an administrator or privileged container explicitly applies an extreme low-value configuration. Although the resulting arithmetic error leads to a kernel panic when inbound network traffic is handled, the issue cannot be leveraged for arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options don't 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 | 7 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
A Divide by Zero results in a crash.
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