Linux Kernel: security vulnerability (CVE-2026-43038)
Published Last modified Sources: Siemens ProductCERT, Ubuntu, Debian LTS, Debian, SUSE, Red Hat, BSI, CVE.org, EUVD
What is affected, what to do
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's IPv6 ICMP error generation. A remote attacker could send a specially crafted IPv4 ICMP error packet with a Common Internet Protocol Security Option (CIPSO) IP option.
Update Linux Kernel to version 5.10.253, Linux Kernel to version 5.15.203, Linux Kernel to version 6.1.168.
- Affected
- Linux Kernel
lt 3.13..5.10.253 - Linux Kernel
lt 5.11..5.15.203 - Linux Kernel
lt 5.16..6.1.168 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.2..6.6.134 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.7..6.12.81 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.13..6.18.22 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.19..6.19.12 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.20..7.0
- Linux Kernel
- Fixed in
- Linux Kernel
5.10.253 - Linux Kernel
5.15.203 - Linux Kernel
6.1.168 - Linux Kernel
6.6.134 - Linux Kernel
6.12.81 - Linux Kernel
6.18.22 - Linux Kernel
6.19.12 - Linux Kernel
7.0
- Linux Kernel
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Metrics
9.8
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: NVD, CVSS v3
9.8
CVSS v3
Severity Critical on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: Siemens ProductCERT, Ubuntu, Debian LTS, Debian, SUSE, Red Hat, BSI, CVE.org, EUVD
0.3 %
EPSS score
Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 17.1
Show all metrics
- Severity
- Critical
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 68.20 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 9.8 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 9.8
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 0.3 %
- Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 17.1
- Elevated — this CVE ranks above at least 10% of all CVEs scored today.
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
- CISA assessment (SSVC)
- Exploitation: none known · automatable · Technical impact: total
- Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 16 October 2026
CWE
CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.
Read in glossary- CWE-787
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's IPv6 ICMP error generation. A remote attacker could send a specially crafted IPv4 ICMP error packet with a Common Internet Protocol Security Option (CIPSO) IP option. This could lead to incorrect handling of packet control block data when generating an IPv6 ICMP error, potentially causing an out-of-bounds memory access. This memory corruption could result in information disclosure or a denial of service.
Source: siemens_advisory, Ubuntu Security Notices, Debian LTS Advisories, Debian Security Advisories, suse_csaf, redhat_csaf, BSI WID Portal, BSI CSAF, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), ENISA EUVD, CVE.org (MITRE)
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
|
|
| IBM | DataPower Gateway |
|
|
| Microsoft | Azure Linux |
|
|
Vendors and products
Affected operating systems
| Linux | debian | linux | bookworm |
| Linux | debian | linux | bullseye |
| Linux | debian | linux-6.1 | bullseye |
| Linux | linux | linux_kernel | 3.13 |
| Linux | linux | linux_kernel | 7.0 |
| Linux | linux | linux_kernel | — |
Weakness classes (CWE)
CWE-787Out-of-bounds Write
Base
The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
Entry at MITRE CWE-787
References & sources
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/c438ba010171b70bad22fc18b1d5bdc3627476e8euvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/0452b6526b2f54b2413b9cb4ff1ea2ac542c99c7euvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/a4437faf135da293d16fcc4cc607316742bd0ebbeuvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/3d5127d998de617b130aae96b138dba22ac6a8a7euvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/e41953e7d118e2702bcb217879c173d9d1d3cd4eeuvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/a2edbb6393972a02114b6003953a5cef3104fadaeuvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/1ceeebd5bd6d855b17a5df625109bfe29129d7cfeuvd, Patch
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/86ab3e55673a7a49a841838776f1ab18d23a67b5euvd, Patch
- access.redhat.comsecurity/cve/CVE-2026-43038Vulnerability database, x_refsource_REDHAT
- bugzilla.redhat.comRHBZ#2464397Issue tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- security.access.redhat.comdata/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-43038.jsonx_sadp-csaf-vex
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:24343Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:30129Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:22940Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:23237Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:23224Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:30848Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:55618Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:25121Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- access.redhat.comerrata/RHSA-2026:55762Vendor advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
Record modifiedCISA ADP
Weakness type: CWE-787
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Weakness type (CWE) added —CWE-787Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Record modifiedCISA ADP
CISA assessment (SSVC): exploitation: none known, automatable: yes
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After SSVC assessment added —{"id":"CVE-2026-43038","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"none"},{"automatable":"yes"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-10-16T15:13:51.083279Z"}Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Record modifiedLinux
New references:- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0452b6526b2f54b2413b9cb4ff1ea2ac542c99c7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ceeebd5bd6d855b17a5df625109bfe29129d7cf
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d5127d998de617b130aae96b138dba22ac6a8a7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/86ab3e55673a7a49a841838776f1ab18d23a67b5
and 4 more references
Show 24 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0452b6526b2f54b2413b9cb4ff1ea2ac542c99c7Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ceeebd5bd6d855b17a5df625109bfe29129d7cfReference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d5127d998de617b130aae96b138dba22ac6a8a7Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/86ab3e55673a7a49a841838776f1ab18d23a67b5Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a2edbb6393972a02114b6003953a5cef3104fadaReference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4437faf135da293d16fcc4cc607316742bd0ebbReference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c438ba010171b70bad22fc18b1d5bdc3627476e8Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e41953e7d118e2702bcb217879c173d9d1d3cd4eReference removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0452b6526b2f54b2413b9cb4ff1ea2ac542c99c7—Reference removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ceeebd5bd6d855b17a5df625109bfe29129d7cf—Reference removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d5127d998de617b130aae96b138dba22ac6a8a7—Reference removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/86ab3e55673a7a49a841838776f1ab18d23a67b5—Reference removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a2edbb6393972a02114b6003953a5cef3104fada—Reference removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4437faf135da293d16fcc4cc607316742bd0ebb—Reference removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c438ba010171b70bad22fc18b1d5bdc3627476e8—Reference removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e41953e7d118e2702bcb217879c173d9d1d3cd4e—Reference type removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0452b6526b2f54b2413b9cb4ff1ea2ac542c99c7 Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ceeebd5bd6d855b17a5df625109bfe29129d7cf Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d5127d998de617b130aae96b138dba22ac6a8a7 Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/86ab3e55673a7a49a841838776f1ab18d23a67b5 Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a2edbb6393972a02114b6003953a5cef3104fada Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a4437faf135da293d16fcc4cc607316742bd0ebb Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c438ba010171b70bad22fc18b1d5bdc3627476e8 Types: Patch—Reference type removed https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e41953e7d118e2702bcb217879c173d9d1d3cd4e Types: Patch—Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
Show 44 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22900Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22940Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22964Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:23224Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:23237Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:24343Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25120Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25121Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25533Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26535Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:30129Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:30848Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55618Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55761Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55762Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55763Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55837Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56224Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56225Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-43038Reference added —https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2464397Reference added —https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-43038.jsonReference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22900—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22940—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22964—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:23224—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:23237—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:24343—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25120—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25121—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25533—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26535—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:30129—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:30848—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55618—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55761—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55762—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55763—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55837—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56224—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56225—Reference removed https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-43038—Reference removed https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2464397—Reference removed https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-43038.json—Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedSiemens ADP
Show 6 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/43xxx/CVE-2026-43038.json">CVE-2026-43038</a>Reference added —https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.htmlReference added —https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.htmlReference added —https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.htmlReference removed https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html—Reference removed https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.html—Source identifier: 0b142b55-0307-4c5a-b3c9-f314f3fb7c5e
Show 3 older changes
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
New references:Show 2 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55761Affected versions (publisher) changed Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support (+22)Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support (+23)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
Show 3 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56224Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56225Affected versions (publisher) changed Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support (+20)Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support (+22)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Record modifiedRed Hat ADP
Show 5 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55618Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55762Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55763Reference added —https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55837Affected versions (publisher) changed Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (+16)Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support (+20)Source identifier: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2026-43038"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2026-43038.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2026-43038 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>