Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: extend IPv6 exthdr detection of tunneled packets
Commit c4336a07eb6b ("net: correctly handle tunneled traffic on IPV6_CSUM
GSO fallback") split skb_gso_has_extension_hdr() into mutually exclusive
branches on skb->encapsulation. This did not yet address all paths:
1. With skb->encapsulation set, the outer header is not checked. IPv6
tunnels such as ip6_gre and ip6_tunnel add an outer Destination
Options header by default (encap_limit). Their GSO packets skip
software GSO, then skb_csum_hwoffload_help() sees the outer extension
header and calls skb_checksum_help() on the GSO skb, which warns and
drops it.
2. Tunnels over IPv6 without an outer transport header, such as
ip6_tunnel, leave skb->transport_header at the inner transport
header. skb_network_header_len() then spans the outer IPv6, tunnel
and inner IP headers, a false positive.
3. UDP tunnels without an inner network header, such as SCTP-in-UDP or
PSP, have no inner IPv6 header to check. Decide on the outer header
alone.
4. Directly dereferencing inner_ip_hdr(skb)->version without
skb_header_pointer() is unsafe.
Instead, check ipv6_ext_hdr(nexthdr) on the outer IPv6 header and, if
set, on the inner IPv6 header. Read the headers with skb_header_pointer().
Keep the skb_network_header_len() check when !skb->encapsulation to also
catch encapsulated packets without skb->encapsulation (e.g., virtio).
Use the same helper in skb_csum_hwoffload_help(). Its open coded test
has the false positive of (2) and ignores the inner header.
Background: checksum offload of tunneled packets invariants:
Non-GSO skb:
- If the inner packet is CHECKSUM_PARTIAL, Local Checksum Offload computes
the outer checksum in software and the device offloads only the inner L4
checksum.
- If the inner packet is CHECKSUM_NONE (e.g., SCTP-in-UDP, ESP-in-UDP,
Remote Checksum Offload), the device offloads the outer UDP or GRE
checksum instead.
GSO skb:
- A device with NETIF_F_GSO_UDP_TUNNEL_CSUM or NETIF_F_GSO_GRE_CSUM
computes both inner and outer checksums per segment.
The outer checksum is seeded with only the pseudo-header checksum.
A NETIF_F_IPV6_CSUM device must parse through the outer headers to
reach the inner ones.
net: extend IPv6 exthdr detection of tunneled packets
Commit c4336a07eb6b ("net: correctly handle tunneled traffic on IPV6_CSUM
GSO fallback") split skb_gso_has_extension_hdr() into mutually exclusive
branches on skb->encapsulation. This did not yet address all paths:
1. With skb->encapsulation set, the outer header is not checked. IPv6
tunnels such as ip6_gre and ip6_tunnel add an outer Destination
Options header by default (encap_limit). Their GSO packets skip
software GSO, then skb_csum_hwoffload_help() sees the outer extension
header and calls skb_checksum_help() on the GSO skb, which warns and
drops it.
2. Tunnels over IPv6 without an outer transport header, such as
ip6_tunnel, leave skb->transport_header at the inner transport
header. skb_network_header_len() then spans the outer IPv6, tunnel
and inner IP headers, a false positive.
3. UDP tunnels without an inner network header, such as SCTP-in-UDP or
PSP, have no inner IPv6 header to check. Decide on the outer header
alone.
4. Directly dereferencing inner_ip_hdr(skb)->version without
skb_header_pointer() is unsafe.
Instead, check ipv6_ext_hdr(nexthdr) on the outer IPv6 header and, if
set, on the inner IPv6 header. Read the headers with skb_header_pointer().
Keep the skb_network_header_len() check when !skb->encapsulation to also
catch encapsulated packets without skb->encapsulation (e.g., virtio).
Use the same helper in skb_csum_hwoffload_help(). Its open coded test
has the false positive of (2) and ignores the inner header.
Background: checksum offload of tunneled packets invariants:
Non-GSO skb:
- If the inner packet is CHECKSUM_PARTIAL, Local Checksum Offload computes
the outer checksum in software and the device offloads only the inner L4
checksum.
- If the inner packet is CHECKSUM_NONE (e.g., SCTP-in-UDP, ESP-in-UDP,
Remote Checksum Offload), the device offloads the outer UDP or GRE
checksum instead.
GSO skb:
- A device with NETIF_F_GSO_UDP_TUNNEL_CSUM or NETIF_F_GSO_GRE_CSUM
computes both inner and outer checksums per segment.
The outer checksum is seeded with only the pseudo-header checksum.
A NETIF_F_IPV6_CSUM device must parse through the outer headers to
reach the inner ones.
Published:
2026-10-18
Score:
n/a
EPSS:
n/a
KEV:
No
Impact:
n/a
Action:
n/a
Analysis
No analysis available yet.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
No data available yet.
Remediation
No remediation available yet.
Tracking
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Advisories
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References
History
Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: extend IPv6 exthdr detection of tunneled packets Commit c4336a07eb6b ("net: correctly handle tunneled traffic on IPV6_CSUM GSO fallback") split skb_gso_has_extension_hdr() into mutually exclusive branches on skb->encapsulation. This did not yet address all paths: 1. With skb->encapsulation set, the outer header is not checked. IPv6 tunnels such as ip6_gre and ip6_tunnel add an outer Destination Options header by default (encap_limit). Their GSO packets skip software GSO, then skb_csum_hwoffload_help() sees the outer extension header and calls skb_checksum_help() on the GSO skb, which warns and drops it. 2. Tunnels over IPv6 without an outer transport header, such as ip6_tunnel, leave skb->transport_header at the inner transport header. skb_network_header_len() then spans the outer IPv6, tunnel and inner IP headers, a false positive. 3. UDP tunnels without an inner network header, such as SCTP-in-UDP or PSP, have no inner IPv6 header to check. Decide on the outer header alone. 4. Directly dereferencing inner_ip_hdr(skb)->version without skb_header_pointer() is unsafe. Instead, check ipv6_ext_hdr(nexthdr) on the outer IPv6 header and, if set, on the inner IPv6 header. Read the headers with skb_header_pointer(). Keep the skb_network_header_len() check when !skb->encapsulation to also catch encapsulated packets without skb->encapsulation (e.g., virtio). Use the same helper in skb_csum_hwoffload_help(). Its open coded test has the false positive of (2) and ignores the inner header. Background: checksum offload of tunneled packets invariants: Non-GSO skb: - If the inner packet is CHECKSUM_PARTIAL, Local Checksum Offload computes the outer checksum in software and the device offloads only the inner L4 checksum. - If the inner packet is CHECKSUM_NONE (e.g., SCTP-in-UDP, ESP-in-UDP, Remote Checksum Offload), the device offloads the outer UDP or GRE checksum instead. GSO skb: - A device with NETIF_F_GSO_UDP_TUNNEL_CSUM or NETIF_F_GSO_GRE_CSUM computes both inner and outer checksums per segment. The outer checksum is seeded with only the pseudo-header checksum. A NETIF_F_IPV6_CSUM device must parse through the outer headers to reach the inner ones. | |
| Title | net: extend IPv6 exthdr detection of tunneled packets | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-18T15:50:55.946Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.376Z
Link: CVE-2026-98852
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-18T16:17:39.593
Modified: 2026-10-18T16:17:39.593
Link: CVE-2026-98852
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.