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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-43025: Linux kernel · netfilter: ctnetlink: ignore explicit helper on new expectations

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.3 High · fixed in e135f8e8212cbed12a03ab8dec77fa1247139897 : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.3High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 2% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CISA SSVC
Exploitation
No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable
Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact
Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-10-16.

Patch
Available – fixed in e135f8e8212cbed12a03ab8dec77fa1247139897, 917b61fa2042f11e2af4c428e43f08199586633a, 187b6ec5229ea93cb04c4f6d3b52efc80f513d0d +3
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 1 May 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ bd0779370588386e4a67ba5d0b176cfded8e6a53, < e135f8e8212cbed12a03ab8dec77fa1247139897
Fixed in
  • e135f8e8212cbed12a03ab8dec77fa1247139897
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ bd0779370588386e4a67ba5d0b176cfded8e6a53, < 917b61fa2042f11e2af4c428e43f08199586633a
Fixed in
  • 917b61fa2042f11e2af4c428e43f08199586633a
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ bd0779370588386e4a67ba5d0b176cfded8e6a53, < 187b6ec5229ea93cb04c4f6d3b52efc80f513d0d
Fixed in
  • 187b6ec5229ea93cb04c4f6d3b52efc80f513d0d
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ bd0779370588386e4a67ba5d0b176cfded8e6a53, < 21a04c31db4057deec85fcd6cc63d720b38819c3
Fixed in
  • 21a04c31db4057deec85fcd6cc63d720b38819c3
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ bd0779370588386e4a67ba5d0b176cfded8e6a53, < 2ea0f35f235f70c133ad61fe05ba013753b978c6
Fixed in
  • 2ea0f35f235f70c133ad61fe05ba013753b978c6
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ bd0779370588386e4a67ba5d0b176cfded8e6a53, < 0f6c33697ccfac6499d0b7a4dbdec5d3a3a566cd
Fixed in
  • 0f6c33697ccfac6499d0b7a4dbdec5d3a3a566cd

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: ctnetlink: ignore explicit helper on new expectations Use the existing master conntrack helper, anything else is not really supported and it just makes validation more complicated, so just ignore what helper userspace suggests for this expectation. This was uncovered when validating CTA_EXPECT_CLASS via different helper provided by userspace than the existing master conntrack helper: BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in nf_ct_expect_related_report+0x2479/0x27c0 Read of size 4 at addr ffff8880043fe408 by task poc/102 Call Trace: nf_ct_expect_related_report+0x2479/0x27c0 ctnetlink_create_expect+0x22b/0x3b0 ctnetlink_new_expect+0x4bd/0x5c0 nfnetlink_rcv_msg+0x67a/0x950 netlink_rcv_skb+0x120/0x350 Allowing to read kernel memory bytes off the expectation boundary. CTA_EXPECT_HELP_NAME is still used to offer the helper name to userspace via netlink dump.

References

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