critical CVSS 9.8 EPSS 0.21%

CVE-2026-98548·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: discard the rest of the packet on a stale-cookie error When an association is in COOKIE-ECHOED state and the peer sends a bundled [ERROR(Stale Cookie)][DATA] packet from one of its non-primary addresses, processing the ERROR chunk takes the non-fatal stale-cookie retry path sctp_sf_do_5_2_6_stale(), which queues SCTP_CMD_DEL_NON_PRIMARY while keeping the association alive. sctp_cmd_del_non_primary() removes every non-primary transport - including the very transport this packet arrived on, which is still referenced by the receive lookup and shared by all chunks of the packet via chunk->transport. sctp_assoc_rm_peer() does redirect asoc->peer.last_data_from away from the removed transport, but right afterwards the bundled DATA chunk makes sctp_assoc_bh_rcv() re-register asoc->peer.last_data_from = chunk->transport unconditionally, undoing the redirection with the just-removed transport. Once the packet is done, the receive reference is dropped and the transport is RCU-freed, while the surviving association keeps the dangling last_data_from. A later FWD-TSN (or the delayed SACK timer) makes sctp_gen_sack() dereference it (->param_flags and friends), and sctp_make_sack()/sctp_outq_select_transport() may write to the freed object and link it into the live transport list. This is a use-after-free triggerable by any malicious SCTP peer (or a local unprivileged user acting as one) with no capabilities required: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in sctp_do_sm+0x498a/0x5660 Read of size 4 at addr ffff88800e1e356c by task poc/115 Call Trace: sctp_do_sm <- sctp_assoc_bh_rcv <- sctp_inq_push <- sctp_rcv <- ip_protocol_deliver_rcu <- ip_rcv Allocated: sctp_transport_new <- sctp_assoc_add_peer <- sctp_process_init (INIT-ACK processing) Freed: kfree <- sctp_transport_destroy_rcu <- rcu_core (call_rcu queued by sctp_transport_put at end of sctp_rcv) The buggy address is located 364 bytes inside of freed 1024-byte region [ffff88800e1e3400, ffff88800e1e3800), cache kmalloc-1k Note that commit 03a9d10ecf71 ("sctp: drop a chunk if its transport was removed") only covers the window between the receive lookup and the chunk processing (e.g. an ASCONF DEL-IP racing the socket backlog); here the transport is removed *while* the packet is being processed, by an earlier chunk of the same packet, so the drop in sctp_inq_push() does not reach this path. Verified with the bundled [ERROR(Stale Cookie)][DATA] + FWD-TSN reproducer: the KASAN report above still fires with that commit applied, and is gone with this patch on top. Fix it by discarding the rest of the packet on this path, as suggested by Xin. After the stale-cookie ERROR has sent the association back to COOKIE-WAIT and removed the non-primary transports, the remaining chunks of the packet can only run against the restarted handshake while referencing the removed arrival transport through chunk->transport: besides the last_data_from registration above, sctp_cmd_setup_t2() and the sctp_make_*() reply builders would also copy that pointer into association-lifetime state that sctp_assoc_rm_peer() has already sanitized. Let the peer retransmit them, in line with what sctp_inq_push() does for chunks whose transport was removed before processing.

Severity
critical
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9, 7.3
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.21% — higher than 11% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2026-98548 scores 9.8 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at 0.21%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to one of the fixed stable releases: 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, or 7.2.9 depending on your current kernel branch. This critical use-after-free vulnerability in SCTP packet processing can be exploited by malicious peers to cause kernel memory corruption. Install your distribution's patched kernel package rather than jumping to mainline to maintain stability and vendor support.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel kernel-headers

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check your current kernel version: uname -r
  2. Step 2: Verify SCTP module is loaded: lsmod | grep sctp (confirms if SCTP is in use)
  3. Step 3: Search kernel logs for KASAN or use-after-free warnings: sudo dmesg | grep -i 'use-after-free\|kasan'
  4. Step 4: After patching, reboot and confirm new kernel version: sudo reboot && uname -r

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-98548?

This is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) implementation. When a peer sends a bundled ERROR packet with a stale cookie followed by DATA chunks, the kernel incorrectly maintains references to a transport that has been freed, leading to memory corruption and potential code execution.

Is CVE-2026-98548 being actively exploited?

No active exploitation has been reported in the wild. However, the vulnerability requires no special privileges and can be triggered by any malicious SCTP peer or local unprivileged user, making it a high-risk threat if exploitation techniques become public.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2026-98548?

All kernel versions before the fixed releases are vulnerable: 5.10 before 5.10.271, 5.15 before 5.15.222, 6.1 before 6.1.189, 6.6 before 6.6.158, 6.12 before 6.12.112, 6.18 before 6.18.55, and 7.2 before 7.2.9.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2026-98548?

Run 'uname -r' to get your kernel version, then compare it against the fixed versions listed above for your kernel branch. If your version is older than the corresponding fixed release, your system is vulnerable.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2026-98548?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2026-98548 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63795CVSS 10In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: 9p: avoid putting oldfid in p9_client_walk() error path When p9_client_walk() is called with clone set to false, fid aliases oldfid. If the walk subsequently fails after the request has been sent, the error path jumps to clunk_fid, which currently calls p9_fid_put(fid) unconditionally. This drops a reference to oldfid even though ownership of oldfid remains with the caller. If this is the last reference, oldfid can be clunked and destroyed while the caller still expects it to be valid. A later use or put of oldfid can then trigger a use-after-free or refcount underflow. Fix this by only putting fid in the clunk_fid error path when it does not alias oldfid, matching the existing guard in the error path below. This can be triggered when a multi-component walk is split into multiple p9_client_walk() calls and a later non-cloning walk fails. A reproducer and refcount warning logs are available on request.
CVE-2026-64102CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/siw: Reject MPA FPDU length underflow before signed receive math A malicious connected siw peer can send an iWARP FPDU whose MPA length field (c_hdr->mpa_len, 16 bit big-endian, peer-controlled) is smaller than the fixed DDP/RDMAP header for the announced opcode. Soft-iWARP parses the full header in siw_get_hdr() based on iwarp_pktinfo[opcode] .hdr_len, but never compares mpa_len against that header length. siw_tcp_rx_data() then derives srx->fpdu_part_rem = be16_to_cpu(mpa_len) - fpdu_part_rcvd + MPA_HDR_SIZE; where fpdu_part_rcvd equals iwarp_pktinfo[opcode].hdr_len at this point. For a tagged WRITE (hdr_len 16, MPA_HDR_SIZE 2) the smallest on-wire mpa_len of 0 yields fpdu_part_rem = -14, and any mpa_len below hdr_len - MPA_HDR_SIZE underflows to a negative int. The signed value then flows into siw_proc_write()/siw_proc_rresp() as bytes = min(srx->fpdu_part_rem, srx->skb_new); is handed to siw_check_mem() as an int len (whose interval check addr + len > mem->va + mem->len is satisfied for a valid base when len is negative), and reaches siw_rx_data() -> siw_rx_kva() / siw_rx_umem() -> skb_copy_bits() as a signed copy length. The header copy branch in skb_copy_bits() promotes that to size_t, producing a multi-gigabyte read. KASAN under a KUnit harness that drives the real kernel TCP receive path -- a loopback AF_INET socketpair, the malformed FPDU written via kernel_sendmsg, sk_data_ready firing in softirq, tcp_read_sock dispatching to siw_tcp_rx_data -- reports: BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in skb_copy_bits+0x284/0x480 Read of size 4294967295 at addr ffff888... Call Trace: skb_copy_bits siw_rx_kva siw_rx_data siw_check_mem siw_proc_write siw_tcp_rx_data __tcp_read_sock siw_qp_llp_data_ready tcp_data_ready tcp_data_queue Add the missing invariant at the earliest point where the peer header is fully assembled. iwarp_pktinfo[*].hdr_len - MPA_HDR_SIZE is exactly the value the siw transmitter uses as the minimum mpa_len for each opcode (drivers/infiniband/sw/siw/siw_qp.c:33), so this matches the protocol contract. Out-of-range FPDUs terminate the connection with TERM_ERROR_LAYER_LLP / LLP_ETYPE_MPA / LLP_ECODE_FPDU_START -- which is RFC 5044 Section 8 error code 3 ("Marker and ULPDU Length fields do not agree on the start of an FPDU"), the correct framing-error class for this inconsistency.
CVE-2026-63800CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pNFS: Fix use-after-free in pnfs_update_layout() When hitting the NFS_LAYOUT_RETURN branch in pnfs_update_layout(), the code calls pnfs_prepare_to_retry_layoutget(lo). If it succeeds, pnfs_put_layout_hdr(lo) is called before trace_pnfs_update_layout(), which still references 'lo'. This results in a use-after-free when the tracepoint accesses lo's fields. Fix this by moving the tracepoint call before pnfs_put_layout_hdr(lo).
CVE-2026-64125CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bcmgenet: keep RBUF EEE/PM disabled Setting RBUF_EEE_EN | RBUF_PM_EN in RBUF_ENERGY_CTRL breaks the RX path on GENET hardware once MAC EEE becomes active. RX traffic stops flowing while the link stays up and the usual descriptor/RX error counters remain quiet. In that state the MAC still accepts frames (rbuf_ovflow_cnt keeps climbing) but RBUF no longer forwards them to DMA, so rx_packets is no longer incremented at the netdev level. On some boards the corruption ends up as a paging fault in skb_release_data via bcmgenet_rx_poll on an LPI exit. Reproduced on Pi 4B (BCM2711 + BCM54213PE) and confirmed by Florian Fainelli on an internal Broadcom 4908-family board with the same crash signature. RBUF_PM_EN is not publicly documented. This shows up more often now that phy_support_eee() enables EEE by default, but it also affects older kernels as soon as TX LPI is turned on via ethtool, so it is not specific to recent changes. Always clear RBUF_EEE_EN | RBUF_PM_EN in bcmgenet_eee_enable_set so the bits stay off across resets. UMAC and TBUF setup is left alone so TX-side EEE keeps working.
CVE-2026-64113CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ixgbevf: fix use-after-free in VEPA multicast source pruning ixgbevf_clean_rx_irq() prunes frames whose source MAC matches the VF's own address (VEPA multicast workaround) by freeing the skb and continuing to the next descriptor: dev_kfree_skb_irq(skb); continue; The skb pointer is declared outside the while loop and persists across iterations. Because the continue skips the "skb = NULL" reset at the bottom of the loop, the next iteration enters the "else if (skb)" path and calls ixgbevf_add_rx_frag() on the freed skb, dereferencing skb_shinfo(skb)->nr_frags - a use-after-free in NAPI softirq context. The sibling driver iavf already handles this correctly by nulling the pointer before continuing. Apply the same pattern here. I do not have ixgbevf hardware; the bug was found by static analysis (scan_drop_continue_loops.py + semgrep drop_continue_in_loop, multi-tool corroboration with the highest score in the scan). The UAF was confirmed under KASAN by loading a test module that reproduces the exact code pattern (alloc skb, kfree_skb, then read skb_shinfo(skb)->nr_frags): BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ixgbevf_uaf_test_init+0x100/0x1000 Read of size 8 at addr 000000006163ae78 by task insmod/30 freed 208-byte region [000000006163adc0, 000000006163ae90) QEMU emulates igb (82576) but not ixgbe (82599), and the igbvf VF driver does not include the VEPA source pruning path, so a full end-to-end reproduction with emulated hardware was not possible.

References

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