VulnerabilityPublished 14 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98402: Linux kernel · net: icmp: avoid invalid transport header access in icmp_send tracepoint

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ec6d4612d1c170e1cef1fe55526471da1e81e777 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

Low

Rated Low by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in ec6d4612d1c170e1cef1fe55526471da1e81e777, b972b5e6168dc5d1e13297b1f37f71d6b21cc0f1, 99654b651c6d5fe865798a2adb859767905f9278 +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Oct 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.

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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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 >=6.1.130 <6.1.189 >=6.6.81 <6.6.158	Fixed in ec6d4612d1c170e1cef1fe55526471da1e81e777 b972b5e6168dc5d1e13297b1f37f71d6b21cc0f1 99654b651c6d5fe865798a2adb859767905f9278 7fcc2fe39fed1cb98a7374a113ff3800e8f9af80 6.6.158 6.1.189 04c0d35bac5122b533672a6775851dfae84e265e 2b32f8c3560905582fb12ed68315a6e606367a6a
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.10	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available in Linux kernel versions 6.1.189, 6.6.158, and later. Users should upgrade to these or later versions to resolve the issue. No additional mitigation is required as the vulnerability is addressed by the official patch.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ICMP send tracepoint could cause invalid access to the transport header. This occurs because the code unconditionally accesses the UDP header without verifying the packet protocol, potentially triggering warnings or errors under debug configurations. The issue has been fixed by adding proper protocol checks and safer header access methods.

Impact

This vulnerability can cause kernel warnings or errors due to invalid memory access in the transport header during ICMP send tracepoints. It may affect kernel stability or debugging processes under certain configurations but does not indicate direct code execution or privilege escalation from the provided data.

Summary

CVE-2026-98402 addresses a flaw in the Linux kernel where the icmp_send tracepoint unconditionally calls udp_hdr(skb) without confirming the packet is UDP. This can lead to invalid transport header access when skb->transport_header is uninitialized, especially under CONFIG_DEBUG_NET=y, causing warnings triggered by DEBUG_NET_WARN_ON_ONCE(). The vulnerability arises because __icmp_send() can be invoked from various paths where the transport header is not set. The fix involves parsing transport information only if the IP protocol is UDP and using skb_header_pointer() to safely fetch the UDP header without assuming transport_header is set.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 11:33 UTC

Technical details

References

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