CVE-2026-99166
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Reliable Datagram Sockets (RDS) subsystem. When handling connection events on non-InfiniBand Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) devices, the kernel fails to initialize an internal transport pointer. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a connection request to an affected RDS listener, triggering an invalid pointer dereference that crashes the system and results in a Denial of Service (DoS).
Statement
Red Hat has evaluated this issue as having a Moderate security impact because triggering the flaw requires non-standard configurations involving active Reliable Datagram Sockets (RDS) listeners across non-InfiniBand RDMA interfaces, such as iWARP devices. The RDS protocol modules are not loaded by default in standard Red Hat Enterprise Linux deployments. While an unexpected connection request could cause a kernel crash resulting in a denial of service, the issue cannot be leveraged for arbitrary code execution or data exposure.
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 | 5.9 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory
If the uninitialized pointer is used in a read operation, it might not point to a valid memory location. An attacker might be able to read sensitive portions of memory.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
If the uninitialized pointer references a memory location that is not accessible to the product, or points to a location that is "malformed" (such as NULL) or larger than expected by a read or write operation, then a crash may occur.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
If the uninitialized pointer is used in a function call, or points to unexpected data in a write operation, then code execution may be possible. If the uninitialized pointer is used as a function call, then arbitrary functions could be invoked.
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