CVE-2026-97957: Linux kernel · net: hinic: fix mailbox segment buffer overflow
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 3% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 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 has been applied to the Linux kernel hinic driver to properly validate the last mailbox segment length and prevent buffer overflow. Users should update to the patched versions of the linux-hwe-edge kernel that include this fix. Since this is not a cloud service, remediation depends on applying the official kernel updates. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor advisory indicating the fix is implemented.
Description
A buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hinic network driver was resolved. The issue arises because the check_mbox_seq_id_and_seg_len() function allows the last mailbox segment to carry a payload that overflows the receive buffer by 16 bytes. This can lead to a heap buffer overflow. The hinic3 driver already implements a fix by rejecting oversized last segments, and this fix was applied to the hinic driver as well.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-97957 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97957 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/eca54a092d5f7b497b458ff5a6f66d4f7bfb6674 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/513f7b16ed0cffae9348151c72bed17c7073096f (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d4d985957434867bbe85e4fa5e638f3e48ad522 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f6ad383901d0cb1c8ea5f7f3160fabfe1540eb5 (opens in a new tab)
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97957 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/72be1fd5d256dde748c0905c5e1749a119cad5bd (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/7cc974799fde846eda2d8f00ad4f8e1810eb0499 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8de1e23bd91fe3a6683e4bc574e2d6bcb0eef920 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c622bbc212207d7c6bbd69dd88f0c3a3f5853d16 (opens in a new tab)