Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update

The advisory covers a kernel update for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 EUS that fixes multiple security vulnerabilities identified by CVEs ranging from 2024 to 2026. Key fixes include a sanity check for symbolic link size in Squashfs (CVE-2024-46744), race condition fixes in Bluetooth SCO connections (CVE-2026-43023), use-after-free vulnerabilities in Bluetooth SSP passkey handlers (CVE-2026-46056) and IPv6 icmpv6_rcv() (CVE-2026-53006), and validation of RSA CRT component lengths in crypto qat (CVE-2026-64304). Additional fixes address netfilter expiry handling, IPv4 sysctl table cleanup, and bridge port group management. The update also includes bug fixes and enhancements related to network bonding, KASAN out-of-bounds errors, and vhost vring metadata cache resets. Red Hat recommends applying this update promptly and rebooting affected systems.

The vulnerabilities fixed in this update affect the Linux kernel, which is critical to system operation and security. Exploitation could lead to system instability, denial of service, or potential privilege escalation depending on the specific flaw. The advisory rates the overall security impact as important, indicating a high likelihood that these issues could affect system security if left unpatched. No known exploits in the wild have been reported at the time of this advisory.

A security update for the Linux kernel packages is available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support. Red Hat recommends applying this update promptly and rebooting the system to ensure the fixes take effect. Treat all kernel errata as security-relevant due to the kernel's fundamental role. For detailed update instructions, refer to Red Hat's official advisory and documentation. No additional mitigations are specified beyond applying the official patch and rebooting.