CVE-2026-74598

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: fix Route Information option length validation rt6_route_rcv() validates the Route Information option (RFC 4191) length against the prefix length, but both checks are off by one. rinfo->length is the ND option length in units of 8 octets and it *includes* the 8-byte option header, so an option carrying N bytes of prefix has length == 1 + N/8. RFC 4191 section 2.3 requires length 3 when Prefix Length is greater than 64, and 2 or 3 when it is greater than 0. The code accepts length >= 2 and length >= 1 respectively. ipv6_addr_prefix() then copies prefix_len/8 bytes out of rinfo->prefix, so a Router Advertisement with (prefix_len=128, length=2) or (prefix_len=64, length=1) makes the kernel read up to 8 bytes past the end of the option. Those bytes end up in the prefix of the route that gets installed, so they are visible to userspace: # RA with a Route Information option (prefix_len=128, length=2) # followed by a source link-layer address option, 01 01 de ad be ef ca fe $ ip -6 route show 2001:db8:dead:beef:101:dead:beef:cafe via fe80::1234 dev veth0 proto ra ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ the next option, read out of bounds When the Route Information option is the last one in the packet, those eight bytes come from the skb tail room instead. Reject the option lengths RFC 4191 does not allow.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-08-22
Last modified 2026-08-22
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 2.6.17 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.265, 5.15.216, 6.1.183, 6.6.152, 6.12.104, 6.18.45, 7.1.9, 7.2 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 2.6.17
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.265 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.216 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.183 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.152 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.104 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.45 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.9 7.1.x ✓ 7.2

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-74598?

    CVE-2026-74598 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.17 onward and has been patched in 5.10.265, 5.15.216, 6.1.183 and others. CVE-2026-74598 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-74598?

    Yes. CVE-2026-74598 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.265, 5.15.216, 6.1.183 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.17 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-74598 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-74598 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.