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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-45842: Linux kernel · slip: reject VJ receive packets on instances with no rstate array

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 5.15.0-1112.119~20.04.1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
5.5Medium
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.
Patch
Available – fixed in 5.15.0-1112.119~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1117.126~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1117.126~20.04.2 +78
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 27 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
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-28.28
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-28.28
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1009.9
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1009.9
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1010.10
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1010.10
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1009.9
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1009.9
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1008.8
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1008.8
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <7.0.0-1003.4
Fixed in
  • 7.0.0-1003.4

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A patch is available and should be applied to affected Linux kernel versions. The fix rejects receive packets on slip instances configured with zero receive slots, preventing the null pointer dereference. No additional mitigation is required as the vulnerability is addressed by the official kernel update.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's slip network driver allows a local user with limited privileges to cause a kernel crash (denial of service) by triggering a null pointer dereference in the VJ decompression code. This occurs when the slip compression state is initialized with zero receive slots, leading to dereferencing a null pointer during packet decompression. The issue is reachable from unprivileged user namespaces with CAP_NET_ADMIN capability. The vulnerability has been fixed by rejecting receive packets on instances with no receive state array, preventing the null pointer dereference.

References

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