CVE-2026-53238

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netlabel: validate unlabeled address and mask attribute lengths netlbl_unlabel_addrinfo_get() used the address attribute length to determine whether the attribute data could be read as an IPv4 or IPv6 address, but did not independently validate the corresponding mask attribute length. A crafted Generic Netlink request could therefore provide a valid IPv4/IPv6 address attribute with a shorter mask attribute, which would later be read as a full struct in_addr or struct in6_addr. NLA_BINARY policy lengths are maximum lengths by default, so use NLA_POLICY_EXACT_LEN() for the unlabeled IPv4/IPv6 address and mask attributes. This rejects short attributes during policy validation and also exposes the exact length requirements through policy introspection.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-06-25
Last modified 2026-07-08
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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 2.6.25 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176, 6.6.143, 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13, 7.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 2.6.25
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.259 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.210 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.176 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.143 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.94 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.36 6.18.x ✓ 7.0.13 7.0.x ✓ 7.1

References

8 total
Showing 5 of 8 references View all on NVD

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-53238?

    CVE-2026-53238 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.25 onward and has been patched in 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176 and others. CVE-2026-53238 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-53238?

    CVE-2026-53238 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-2026-53238?

    Yes. CVE-2026-53238 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.259, 5.15.210, 6.1.176 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.25 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-53238 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-53238 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

Back to
All CVEs
View on
NVD / NIST