CVE-2026-98239 (CVSS 8.1)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: lan743x: fix RX checksum use-after-free lan743x_rx_process_buffer() adds each non-first receive buffer to the head skb's frag_list. On the last descriptor, lan743x_rx_trim_skb() linearizes the head and frees the fragment skb metadata. The checksum-success path then writes ip_summed through the local skb pointer, which still points to the final fragment. This causes a use-after-free write when a packet spans more than one receive buffer. Set ip_summed on the surviving head skb instead. Multi-buffer receive can occur after a live MTU increase because existing ring entries keep their old buffer size until they are replenished. A KUnit test invoking lan743x_rx_process_buffer() with a two-buffer packet produced a one-byte KASAN use-after-free write before this change. The same test passed after the change. The driver object also builds with W=1. This was not tested on physical LAN743x hardware.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0044

Probability of exploitation

0.38%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

References

Other References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0e52886c4324c9897c2c62f92be3dc8316cee67e https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/161a403c8625e152de03d1da22bbf9cda6dc9f9f https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5c216bfa9fb7b36804485e67975e9c98055b31ef https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6fe5c3a2503983abb431d93faeadfc7f5e6a7e33 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a58024835c704419bb46d2a34e5223f65605f958 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9ce4053dc945c5372dedba5017ee675b30dc0c5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98239? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: lan743x: fix RX checksum use-after-free lan743x_rx_process_buffer() adds each non-first receive buffer to the head skb's frag_list. On the last descriptor, lan743x_rx_trim_skb() linearizes the head and frees the fragment skb metadata. The checksum-success path then writes ip_summed through the local skb pointer, which still points to the final fragment. This causes a use-after-free write when a packet spans more than one receive buffer. Set ip_summed on the surviving head skb instead. Multi-buffer receive can occur after a live MTU increase because existing ring entries keep their old buffer size until they are replenished. A KUnit test invoking lan743x_rx_process_buffer() with a two-buffer packet produced a one-byte KASAN use-after-free write before this change. The same test passed after the change. The driver object also builds with W=1. This was not tested on physical LAN743x hardware. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-98239? +

CVE-2026-98239 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0044, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98239? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

CVE-2026-98239