CVE-2026-43445

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: e1000/e1000e: Fix leak in DMA error cleanup If an error is encountered while mapping TX buffers, the driver should unmap any buffers already mapped for that skb. Because count is incremented after a successful mapping, it will always match the correct number of unmappings needed when dma_error is reached. Decrementing count before the while loop in dma_error causes an off-by-one error. If any mapping was successful before an unsuccessful mapping, exactly one DMA mapping would leak. In these commits, a faulty while condition caused an infinite loop in dma_error: Commit 03b1320dfcee ("e1000e: remove use of skb_dma_map from e1000e driver") Commit 602c0554d7b0 ("e1000: remove use of skb_dma_map from e1000 driver") Commit c1fa347f20f1 ("e1000/e1000e/igb/igbvf/ixgb/ixgbe: Fix tests of unsigned in *_tx_map()") fixed the infinite loop, but introduced the off-by-one error. This issue may still exist in the igbvf driver, but I did not address it in this patch.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-05-08
Last modified 2026-05-21
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-401

CVE-2026-43445 is a Memory Leak vulnerability

What is Memory Leak?

The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 2.6.33 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.167, 6.6.130, 6.12.78, 6.18.19, 6.19.9, 7.0 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 2.6.33
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.253 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.203 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.167 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.130 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.78 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.19 6.18.x ✓ 6.19.9 6.19.x ✓ 7.0

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-43445 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-43445?

    CVE-2026-43445 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a Memory Leak flaw (CWE-401) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.33 onward and has been patched in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.167 and others. CVE-2026-43445 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-43445?

    CVE-2026-43445 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-43445?

    Yes — CVE-2026-43445 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.167 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.33 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-43445 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2026-43445 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Memory Leak (CWE-401)?

    The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. View CWE-401 on MITRE CWE →