CVE-2026-98485

HIGH
Published Oct 18, 2026 Modified Oct 24, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: ip6t_rt: fix zero-address non-strict match out-of-bounds read rt_mt6_check() permits rules to be configured with rtinfo->addrnr == 0 even when address matching (IP6T_RT_FST_MASK) is requested. In the IP6T_RT_FST_NSTRICT path, rt_mt6() evaluates packet routing addresses against rtinfo->addrs[i] and terminates backwards at the bottom of the loop: if (ipv6_addr_equal(ap, &rtinfo->addrs[i])) { i++; } if (i == rtinfo->addrnr) break; When addrnr is 0, if the first packet address matches rtinfo->addrs[0], i is incremented to 1. Because i is now strictly greater than addrnr (0), the loop termination condition (i == rtinfo->addrnr) is bypassed and will never be satisfied. If a crafted IPv6 packet contains matching routing addresses, i will advance past IP6T_RT_HOPS (16). The subsequent call to ipv6_addr_equal() reads beyond struct ip6t_rt, triggering UBSAN/KASAN out-of-bounds warnings or kernel panics. Fix this by: 1. Rejecting rules in rt_mt6_check() where IP6T_RT_FST_MASK is set but rtinfo->addrnr is zero. 2. In rt_mt6(), moving the termination condition (i < rtinfo->addrnr) into the for-loop header condition and removing the backwards break at the end of the loop body.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.1
HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0017
Probability of exploitation
0.07%
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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98485? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: ip6t_rt: fix zero-address non-strict match out-of-bounds read rt_mt6_check() permits rules to be configured with rtinfo->addrnr == 0 even when address matching (IP6T_RT_FST_MASK) is requested. In the IP6T_RT_FST_NSTRICT path, rt_mt6() evaluates packet routing addresses against rtinfo->addrs[i] and terminates backwards at the bottom of the loop: if (ipv6_addr_equal(ap, &rtinfo->addrs[i])) { i++; } if (i == rtinfo->addrnr) break; When addrnr is 0, if the first packet address matches rtinfo->addrs[0], i is incremented to 1. Because i is now strictly greater than addrnr (0), the loop termination condition (i == rtinfo->addrnr) is bypassed and will never be satisfied. If a crafted IPv6 packet contains matching routing addresses, i will advance past IP6T_RT_HOPS (16). The subsequent call to ipv6_addr_equal() reads beyond struct ip6t_rt, triggering UBSAN/KASAN out-of-bounds warnings or kernel panics. Fix this by: 1. Rejecting rules in rt_mt6_check() where IP6T_RT_FST_MASK is set but rtinfo->addrnr is zero. 2. In rt_mt6(), moving the termination condition (i < rtinfo->addrnr) into the for-loop header condition and removing the backwards break at the end of the loop body. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2026-98485? +
CVE-2026-98485 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.1 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0017, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98485? +
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