VulnerabilityPublished 25 Jun 2026Updated 6 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-53238: Linux kernel · netlabel: validate unlabeled address and mask attribute lengths

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in ccfe292a966079c61ea68a2da303b2a336170993 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 16:49 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

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, 2026-11-06.

Patch

Available – fixed in ccfe292a966079c61ea68a2da303b2a336170993, 9772589b57e44aedc240211c5c3f7a684a034d3a, 975a84fd741440853380d37465b6e226cf47254c +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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 6 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd, < ccfe292a966079c61ea68a2da303b2a336170993	Fixed in ccfe292a966079c61ea68a2da303b2a336170993
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd, < 9772589b57e44aedc240211c5c3f7a684a034d3a	Fixed in 9772589b57e44aedc240211c5c3f7a684a034d3a
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd, < 975a84fd741440853380d37465b6e226cf47254c	Fixed in 975a84fd741440853380d37465b6e226cf47254c
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd, < 672f0f3b8f875ffe6525a37847eafa7648c4c0c6	Fixed in 672f0f3b8f875ffe6525a37847eafa7648c4c0c6
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd, < 95bda3eac0b1454c2cee98d58d9ba6dd8391e843	Fixed in 95bda3eac0b1454c2cee98d58d9ba6dd8391e843
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd, < 71c52da13c3737493b42d20d9f33de34e03b3156	Fixed in 71c52da13c3737493b42d20d9f33de34e03b3156

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netlabel: validate unlabeled address and mask attribute lengths netlbl_unlabel_addrinfo_get() used the address attribute length to determine whether the attribute data could be read as an IPv4 or IPv6 address, but did not independently validate the corresponding mask attribute length. A crafted Generic Netlink request could therefore provide a valid IPv4/IPv6 address attribute with a shorter mask attribute, which would later be read as a full struct in_addr or struct in6_addr. NLA_BINARY policy lengths are maximum lengths by default, so use NLA_POLICY_EXACT_LEN() for the unlabeled IPv4/IPv6 address and mask attributes. This rejects short attributes during policy validation and also exposes the exact length requirements through policy introspection.

References

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