CVE-2026-80779
Description
A flaw was found in the net/ionic component of the Linux kernel. This out-of-bounds write vulnerability occurs because the dedicated hardware timestamp RX queue's index can be used to access memory beyond the bounds of the normal transmit queue array. An attacker could potentially exploit this to cause memory corruption, leading to system instability or other undefined behavior.
Statement
The ionic driver can perform an out of bounds TX queue partner lookup when initializing the dedicated hardware timestamp RX queue. The hwstamp RX queue uses an index equal to the number of normal RX queues, while the txqcqs array only contains normal TX queue pairs, so the old code could read one element past txqcqs and then write through the derived queue pointer. For the CVSS the PR:L is used in the paranoid score because a non root local actor with delegated network administration, a service account, or container root controlling the device may be able to trigger queue reconfiguration or reset paths. The issue is not directly network reachable because packet traffic alone does not configure the RXQ partner relationship. Impact is at least denial of service and plausibly memory corruption with confidentiality and integrity risk, so this should be reviewed manually.
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 | 5.5 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | 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 | 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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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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