CVE-2026-53246

9.8 CRITICAL 0.4% exploit odds Fix listed Memory safety OS & kernel

What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: validate cached peer INIT chunk length in COOKIE_ECHO processing When a listening SCTP server processes a COOKIE_ECHO chunk, the cached peer INIT chunk embedded after the cookie is parsed and its parameters are later walked by sctp_process_init() using sctp_walk_params(). However, the chunk header length of this cached INIT chunk was not validated against the remaining buffer in the COOKIE_ECHO payload. If the length field is inflated, the parameter walk can run beyond the actual received data, leading to out-of-bounds reads and potential memory corruption during later parameter handling (e.g. STATE_COOKIE processing and kmemdup() copies). Add a bounds check in sctp_unpack_cookie() to ensure the cached INIT chunk length does not exceed the available data in the COOKIE_ECHO buffer before it is used.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited over the network without logging in. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.
Exploit odds: 0.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2026-06-25 09:16 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-10-19 20:19 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 0.4% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 9.8 CRITICAL (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2026-06-25 09:16 UTC
Last modified: 2026-10-19 20:19 UTC
Exploit probability: 0.4% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-787 · Out-of-bounds write
Record status: Modified

Affected

Linux Kernel < 6.18.36
Linux Kernel < 7.0.13
Linux Kernel 2.6.12
Linux Kernel 7.1

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 9.8

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Is it in your code?

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record