What is CVE-2026-45988?

CVE-2026-45988 is a Critical severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10, affecting Linux kernel versions from 2.6.22 onward and patched in 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27 and others. CVE-2026-45988 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-45988?

CVE-2026-45988 has a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10, rated Critical severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-45988?

Yes, CVE-2026-45988 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.22 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2026-45988 actively exploited?

CVE-2026-45988 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

CVE-2026-45988

Critical

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rxrpc: Fix re-decryption of RESPONSE packets If a RESPONSE packet gets a temporary failure during processing, it may end up in a partially decrypted state - and then get requeued for a retry. Fix this by just discarding the packet; we will send another CHALLENGE packet and thereby elicit a further response. Similarly, discard an incoming CHALLENGE packet if we get an error whilst generating a RESPONSE; the server will send another CHALLENGE.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2026-05-27

Last modified 2026-05-30

CVSS version 3.1

Patch available

Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

9.8

out of 10

Critical

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Vector string

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 2.6.22 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27, 7.0.4, 7.1-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 2.6.22

Fixed in

✓ 6.6.140 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.86 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.27 6.18.x ✓ 7.0.4 7.0.x ✓ 7.1-rc1

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-45988 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0422e7a4883f25101903f3e8105c0808aa5f4ce9
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/76cb9a2d252274adfae6e293a292434631a7d472
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b89868305052b94a91b708c462bc2281fa42a4a
Patch

5 patch commits total View all on NVD

Details

CVE ID CVE-2026-45988

Severity Critical

CVSS score 9.8 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2026-05-27

Modified 2026-05-30

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-45988?

CVE-2026-45988 is a Critical severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.22 onward and has been patched in 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27 and others. CVE-2026-45988 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-45988?

CVE-2026-45988 has a CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10, rated Critical severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-45988?

Yes — CVE-2026-45988 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.22 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2026-45988 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2026-45988 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.