CVE-2026-53012

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nexthop: fix IPv6 route referencing IPv4 nexthop syzbot reported a panic [1] [2]. When an IPv6 nexthop is replaced with an IPv4 nexthop, the has_v4 flag of all groups containing this nexthop is not updated. This is because nh_group_v4_update is only called when replacing AF_INET to AF_INET6, but the reverse direction (AF_INET6 to AF_INET) is missed. This allows a stale has_v4=false to bypass fib6_check_nexthop, causing IPv6 routes to be attached to groups that effectively contain only AF_INET members. Subsequent route lookups then call nexthop_fib6_nh() which returns NULL for the AF_INET member, leading to a NULL pointer dereference. Fix by calling nh_group_v4_update whenever the family changes, not just AF_INET to AF_INET6. Reproducer: # AF_INET6 blackhole ip -6 nexthop add id 1 blackhole # group with has_v4=false ip nexthop add id 100 group 1 # replace with AF_INET (no -6), has_v4 stays false ip nexthop replace id 1 blackhole # pass stale has_v4 check ip -6 route add 2001:db8::/64 nhid 100 # panic ping -6 2001:db8::1 [1] https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?id=e17283eb2f8dcf3dd9b47fe6f67a95f71faadad0 [2] https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?id=8699b6ae54c9f35837d925686208402949e12ef3

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-06-24
Last modified 2026-06-24
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.3 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.141, 6.12.91, 6.18.33, 7.0.10, 7.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.3
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.258 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.209 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.175 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.141 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.91 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.33 6.18.x ✓ 7.0.10 7.0.x ✓ 7.1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-53012?

    CVE-2026-53012 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.3 onward and has been patched in 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175 and others. CVE-2026-53012 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-53012?

    Yes — CVE-2026-53012 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.3 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-53012 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2026-53012 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.