CVE-2026-46244
CriticalIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nft_inner: Fix IPv6 inner_thoff desync In nft_inner_parse_l2l3(), when processing inner IPv6 packets, ipv6_find_hdr() correctly computes the transport header offset traversing all extension headers, but the result is immediately overwritten with nhoff + sizeof(_ip6h) (40 bytes), which only accounts for the IPv6 base header. This creates a desync between inner_thoff (wrong — points to extension header start) and l4proto (correct — e.g., IPPROTO_TCP), enabling transport header forgery and potential firewall bypass. This issue affects stable versions from Linux 6.2. For comparison, the normal (non-inner) IPv6 path correctly preserves ipv6_find_hdr()'s result. Removing the incorrect overwrite ensures that ipv6_find_hdr()'s calculated transport header offset is preserved, thereby fixing the desynchronization.
CVSS 3.1 score
9.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
6.2
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.6.142,
6.12.92,
6.18.34,
7.0.11,
7.1-rc5
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-46244 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/689bbf48c1f45130086ae1c46ab83ea4c753c601
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/870d59e2cf218e7418491e26bad768cb16654582
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b6a91f68ebfed9c38e0e9150f58a9b85da07181c
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-46244?
CVE-2026-46244 is a Critical severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.1 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.2 onward and has been patched in 6.6.142, 6.12.92, 6.18.34 and others. CVE-2026-46244 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-46244?
CVE-2026-46244 has a CVSS score of 9.1 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:N. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-46244?
Yes — CVE-2026-46244 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.142, 6.12.92, 6.18.34 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.2 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-46244 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2026-46244 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.