In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: Fix a potential NPD in cleanup_prefix_route() addrconf_get_prefix_route()… (CVE-2026-53214)
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: Fix a potential NPD in cleanup_prefix_route() addrconf_get_prefix_route() can return the fib6_null_entry sentinel entry which has a NULL fib6_table pointer. Therefore, before setting the route's expiration time, check that we are not working with this entry, as otherwise a NPD will be triggered [1]. Note that the other callers of addrconf_get_prefix_route() are not susceptible to this bug: 1. addrconf_prefix_rcv(): Requests a route with the 'RTF_ADDRCONF | RTF_PREFIX_RT' flags which are not set on fib6_null_entry. 2. modify_prefix_route(): Fixed by commit a747e02430df ("ipv6: avoid possible NULL deref in modify_prefix_route()"). 3. __ipv6_ifa_notify(): Calls ip6_del_rt() which specifically checks for fib6_null_entry and returns an error. [1] Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000006: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000030-0x0000000000000037] [...] Call Trace: <TASK> __kasan_check_byte (mm/kasan/common.c:573) lock_acquire.part.0 (kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5842 (discriminator 1)) _raw_spin_lock_bh (kernel/locking/spinlock.c:182 (discriminator 1)) cleanup_prefix_route (net/ipv6/addrconf.c:1280) ipv6_del_addr (net/ipv6/addrconf.c:1342) inet6_addr_del.isra.0 (net/ipv6/addrconf.c:3119) inet6_rtm_deladdr (net/ipv6/addrconf.c:4812) rtnetlink_rcv_msg (net/core/rtnetlink.c:6997) netlink_rcv_skb (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2555) netlink_unicast (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1344) netlink_sendmsg (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1899) __sock_sendmsg (net/socket.c:802 (discriminator 4)) ____sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:2698) ___sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:2752) __sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:2784) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:121)
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The Linux kernel IPv6 implementation contained a vulnerability where the function cleanup_prefix_route() did not properly verify that the route returned by addrconf_get_prefix_route() was not the fib6_null_entry sentinel with a NULL fib6_table pointer. This lack of validation could trigger a null pointer dereference, causing a kernel crash. The vulnerability was addressed by adding a check to ensure the route is not the sentinel before setting its expiration time. Other related functions calling addrconf_get_prefix_route() are not vulnerable due to existing checks or prior fixes.
Potential Impact
This vulnerability results in a denial of service condition by causing a kernel crash (general protection fault) when the null pointer dereference occurs. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact. The vulnerability requires local privileges to exploit and does not involve user interaction.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, avoid conditions that trigger cleanup_prefix_route() with problematic IPv6 prefix routes. Monitor vendor communications for patches addressing this issue.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: Fix a potential NPD in cleanup_prefix_route() addrconf_get_prefix_route()… (CVE-2026-53214)
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: Fix a potential NPD in cleanup_prefix_route() addrconf_get_prefix_route() can return the fib6_null_entry sentinel entry which has a NULL fib6_table pointer. Therefore, before setting the route's expiration time, check that we are not working with this entry, as otherwise a NPD will be triggered [1]. Note that the other callers of addrconf_get_prefix_route() are not susceptible to this bug: 1. addrconf_prefix_rcv(): Requests a route with the 'RTF_ADDRCONF | RTF_PREFIX_RT' flags which are not set on fib6_null_entry. 2. modify_prefix_route(): Fixed by commit a747e02430df ("ipv6: avoid possible NULL deref in modify_prefix_route()"). 3. __ipv6_ifa_notify(): Calls ip6_del_rt() which specifically checks for fib6_null_entry and returns an error. [1] Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000006: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000030-0x0000000000000037] [...] Call Trace: <TASK> __kasan_check_byte (mm/kasan/common.c:573) lock_acquire.part.0 (kernel/locking/lockdep.c:5842 (discriminator 1)) _raw_spin_lock_bh (kernel/locking/spinlock.c:182 (discriminator 1)) cleanup_prefix_route (net/ipv6/addrconf.c:1280) ipv6_del_addr (net/ipv6/addrconf.c:1342) inet6_addr_del.isra.0 (net/ipv6/addrconf.c:3119) inet6_rtm_deladdr (net/ipv6/addrconf.c:4812) rtnetlink_rcv_msg (net/core/rtnetlink.c:6997) netlink_rcv_skb (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2555) netlink_unicast (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1344) netlink_sendmsg (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1899) __sock_sendmsg (net/socket.c:802 (discriminator 4)) ____sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:2698) ___sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:2752) __sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:2784) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:121)
CVSS v3.1
Score 5.5medium
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The Linux kernel IPv6 implementation contained a vulnerability where the function cleanup_prefix_route() did not properly verify that the route returned by addrconf_get_prefix_route() was not the fib6_null_entry sentinel with a NULL fib6_table pointer. This lack of validation could trigger a null pointer dereference, causing a kernel crash. The vulnerability was addressed by adding a check to ensure the route is not the sentinel before setting its expiration time. Other related functions calling addrconf_get_prefix_route() are not vulnerable due to existing checks or prior fixes.
Potential Impact
This vulnerability results in a denial of service condition by causing a kernel crash (general protection fault) when the null pointer dereference occurs. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact. The vulnerability requires local privileges to exploit and does not involve user interaction.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, avoid conditions that trigger cleanup_prefix_route() with problematic IPv6 prefix routes. Monitor vendor communications for patches addressing this issue.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- GHSA-5r3h-v82j-r7rr
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.4.0
- Aliases
- ["CVE-2026-53214"]
- Ecosystems
- []
- Database Specific Severity
- MODERATE
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
Threat ID: 6a46eca927e9c7971943a6a1
Added to database: 07/02/2026, 22:56:41 UTC
Last enriched: 07/02/2026, 23:01:54 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:24:49 UTC
Views: 8
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