Vulnerability record · CVE-2026-98096 · published 25 September 2026
CVE-2026-98096: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sr: restore network header before r…
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sr: restore network header before routing and forwarding ipv6_srh_rcv() runs with skb->data at the Segment Routing Header (SRH) while skb_network_header() points at the IPv6 header. When segments_left > 0, ipv6_srh_rcv() previously restored the skb->data position by pushing sizeof(struct ipv6hdr), assuming the SRH immediately followed the fixed IPv6 header. If another extension header (such as a Hop-by-Hop options header) precedes the SRH, skb_network_offset() remained negative. This led to two problems: 1. During ip6_route_input(), fib6_rules_early_flow_dissect() invokes __skb_flow_dissect() which passes the negative skb_network_offset() to flow dissection, breaking BPF and C flow dissector logic. 2. If forwarded via ip6_forward() or redirected via act_mirred, downstream handlers (like sch_fragment() or neighbour output) pass the negative offset as an unsigned length, triggering OOB memcpy or buffer overflows. Fix this by pushing -skb_network_offset(skb) before routing, ensuring skb_network_offset(skb) is 0 for route lookup / flow dissection as well as downstream forwarding. On the loopback path, pull skb_transport_offset(skb) to restore skb->data to the SRH before looping back.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sr: restore network header before routing and forwarding ipv6_srh_rcv() runs with skb->data at the Segment Routing Header (SRH) while skb_network_header() points at the IPv6 header. When segments_left > 0, ipv6_srh_rcv() previously restored the skb->data position by pushing sizeof(struct ipv6hdr), assuming the SRH immediately followed the fixed IPv6 header. If another extension header (such as a Hop-by-Hop options header) precedes the SRH, skb_network_offset() remained negative. This led to two problems: 1. During ip6_route_input(), fib6_rules_early_flow_dissect() invokes __skb_flow_dissect() which passes the negative skb_network_offset() to flow dissection, breaking BPF and C flow dissector logic. 2. If forwarded via ip6_forward() or redirected via act_mirred, downstream handlers (like sch_fragment() or neighbour output) pass the negative offset as an unsigned length, triggering OOB memcpy or buffer overflows. Fix this by pushing -skb_network_offset(skb) before routing, ensuring skb_network_offset(skb) is 0 for route lookup / flow dissection as well as downstream forwarding. On the loopback path, pull skb_transport_offset(skb) to restore skb->data to the SRH before looping back.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
References
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Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database (record CVE-2026-98096), CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS (scores of 2026-09-26). This page is refreshed as NVD updates the record.
