CVE-2026-98438

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: options: fix uninit-value in mptcp_write_data_fin When sending a DATA_FIN without data, and because the DATA_FIN occupies 1 octet of the connection-level sequence space [1], it is then required to add a DSS mapping with specific values. If the checksum has been negotiated, it also needs to be computed, and included in the outgoing packet, and thus the initial csum data needs to be reset to 0 as well. This is no longer the case since commit cfcceb7a39fc ("tcp: shrink per-packet memset in __tcp_transmit_skb()"), because the whole ext_copy structure is no longer zeroed by default. This seems to be the only case where use_map is changed and set afterwards, so initialising the csum field only in this case, along with other fields for this specific case.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2026-98438?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0015

Probability of exploitation

0.04%

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/9a682067dd7b9dce6b94a0a05661dcc921446402 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b110f1dd6cb6a9930503354a01a315e0a821eaa7

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98438? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: options: fix uninit-value in mptcp_write_data_fin When sending a DATA_FIN without data, and because the DATA_FIN occupies 1 octet of the connection-level sequence space [1], it is then required to add a DSS mapping with specific values. If the checksum has been negotiated, it also needs to be computed, and included in the outgoing packet, and thus the initial csum data needs to be reset to 0 as well. This is no longer the case since commit cfcceb7a39fc ("tcp: shrink per-packet memset in __tcp_transmit_skb()"), because the whole ext_copy structure is no longer zeroed by default. This seems to be the only case where use_map is changed and set afterwards, so initialising the csum field only in this case, along with other fields for this specific case.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98438? +

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.