CVE-2026-15422: CWE-122 Heap-based buffer overflow in illumos illumos-gate
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the illumos SCTP inbound path due to improper validation of address parameters in INIT ACK chunks during association lookup. This flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to send a crafted SCTP INIT ACK packet that causes out-of-bounds memory access and kernel heap corruption, potentially leading to remote code execution. The vulnerability has been present since 2010 and affects illumos distributions prior to a specific commit fix. The CVSS 4.0 score is 9.1, indicating critical severity.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-15422 is a critical heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in illumos-gate's SCTP inbound path. The vulnerability arises because the association lookup for INIT ACK chunks does not properly validate address parameters before packet classification, which occurs prior to SCTP integrity checks or IPsec policy enforcement. This allows a remote attacker to send a malicious SCTP INIT ACK packet with malformed address parameters, triggering out-of-bounds access and kernel heap corruption. The flaw has existed since 2010 (illumos-gate commit a5407c02) and affects all illumos distributions before the fix introduced in commit 53a3efde. No official remediation level or patch links are provided in the data.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to kernel heap corruption and potentially remote code execution without requiring authentication or user interaction. This poses a critical risk to affected systems, allowing attackers to compromise system integrity remotely via crafted SCTP packets.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or patch links are provided in the available data. Until a patch is available, consider restricting or monitoring SCTP traffic to mitigate exposure. Follow illumos vendor advisories for updates and apply official fixes once released.
CVE-2026-15422: CWE-122 Heap-based buffer overflow in illumos illumos-gate
Description
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the illumos SCTP inbound path due to improper validation of address parameters in INIT ACK chunks during association lookup. This flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to send a crafted SCTP INIT ACK packet that causes out-of-bounds memory access and kernel heap corruption, potentially leading to remote code execution. The vulnerability has been present since 2010 and affects illumos distributions prior to a specific commit fix. The CVSS 4.0 score is 9.1, indicating critical severity.
CVSS v4.0
Score 9.1critical
Affected software
Run on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-15422 is a critical heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in illumos-gate's SCTP inbound path. The vulnerability arises because the association lookup for INIT ACK chunks does not properly validate address parameters before packet classification, which occurs prior to SCTP integrity checks or IPsec policy enforcement. This allows a remote attacker to send a malicious SCTP INIT ACK packet with malformed address parameters, triggering out-of-bounds access and kernel heap corruption. The flaw has existed since 2010 (illumos-gate commit a5407c02) and affects all illumos distributions before the fix introduced in commit 53a3efde. No official remediation level or patch links are provided in the data.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to kernel heap corruption and potentially remote code execution without requiring authentication or user interaction. This poses a critical risk to affected systems, allowing attackers to compromise system integrity remotely via crafted SCTP packets.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or patch links are provided in the available data. Until a patch is available, consider restricting or monitoring SCTP traffic to mitigate exposure. Follow illumos vendor advisories for updates and apply official fixes once released.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- illumos
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-10T15:20:03.858Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a59358268715ace439a685b
Added to database: 07/16/2026, 19:48:18 UTC
Last enriched: 07/23/2026, 22:44:24 UTC
Last updated: 08/29/2026, 22:52:09 UTC
Views: 92
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.