CVE-2026-80742: Linux kernel · af_packet: Don't send zero-byte data in tpacket_snd().
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 3 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
A fix is available that rejects zero-length packets in the tpacket_fill_skb() function, preventing empty skbs from being transmitted. Users should apply the updated Linux kernel versions that include this patch to mitigate the issue.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's af_packet subsystem was resolved that prevented sending zero-byte packets via the TPACKET ring buffer on devices with no hard header. The issue caused an empty socket buffer (skb) to be forwarded to packet transmission functions, triggering assertion failures. The fix rejects zero-length packets by returning an error in the skb preparation function.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-80742 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80742 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/6bcd76c134c55c697148acb5c0194e9666abdf84 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/1fc70b3d513bafb16b17540178870ef46e81c0bb (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3fa110f9e2ea96f567f2194c673c4bc327640111 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6bcd76c134c55c697148acb5c0194e9666abdf84 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/7521e691c7c4f2231634c95053281ac888d1f452 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/80a702964467b998d254f16cc61c2c9a20540c9d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/98c5914d6b7bd4b4675535908e57dea31f1efd6a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/dde212f8622f5cb36223fff1ebd6e6f2a3dc61fe (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f09ac5682f1bb67981fcb6ead4d3cfe439225876 (opens in a new tab)