CVE-2026-98554: Linux kernel · vlan: ensure sufficient headroom in vlan_dev_hard_header()
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.7 Medium.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 01:28 UTC
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 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.
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.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vlan: ensure sufficient headroom in vlan_dev_hard_header() Callers that only reserve ETH_HLEN or less (such as llc_alloc_frame()), or skbs allocated before dynamic device/headroom changes (e.g. toggling VLAN_FLAG_REORDER_HDR or bonding/team switching slaves), can reach vlan_dev_hard_header() with insufficient headroom and trigger skb_under_panic(). Use skb_cow_head() in vlan_dev_hard_header() when VLAN_FLAG_REORDER_HDR is not set to ensure sufficient headroom for the VLAN header(s) and the underlying device hard header. Use READ_ONCE() to read dev->hard_header_len and dev->needed_headroom as they can be updated concurrently under RTNL (e.g. in vlan_transfer_features()) while vlan_dev_hard_header() runs locklessly on the transmit path. Also avoid LL_RESERVED_SPACE(dev) here so that the extra HH_DATA_MOD alignment padding does not trigger unnecessary pskb_expand_head() reallocations on inner stacked VLAN devices after the outer VLAN header has been pushed.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-98554 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98554 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/90d51095371d96747f45bbd8504edf6513e039ef (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/55e007fc3b4d76fa4d6b4660f6904fe6ab045a1b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd5dd68267c4238795fadaf02b3575ca3f8a6500 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca797491f0ae4bfde9039f79f6f1ed7781c9110f (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4ba1f57313f36a3ce6f77d593548f0c511f34aa1 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5aca8e6a8ff6aeae358c1d9b65447aac416ace95 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c7ee4bea64f559ea8e03260014775b64c720cb5b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/cfba0f45553de2b803059e3d539a1e418df24da8 (opens in a new tab)