CVE-2026-90110

Critical

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inetpeer: randomize RB-tree node comparison using SipHash The inetpeer rate limiting system stores peer entries in a Red-Black tree keyed deterministically on the remote IP address. Because tree lookups walk the RB-tree using standard lexicographical comparisons (inetpeer_addr_cmp), an off-path adversary can predict the exact topology of the tree and the sequence of nodes traversed during lookups (the gc_stack candidate list). By combining deterministic tree traversal with aggressive garbage collection (triggered when tree size exceeds inet_peer_threshold), an attacker can selectively force the eviction of targeted inet_peer nodes. When an evicted node is subsequently re-created upon receiving a new packet, its rate-limiting token bucket (rate_tokens, rate_last) is reset to full capacity. This creates a side-channel primitive allowing off-path attackers to bypass IP-keyed ICMP rate limits and infer open UDP ports (similar to SAD DNS style attacks). Mitigate this by randomizing the RB-tree node comparison logic using SipHash with a secret key (inetpeer_hash_key) initialized via net_get_random_once(). Nodes are ordered in the tree by SipHash(addr, key) rather than raw IP addresses. Because the secret key is unknown to external entities, the tree layout and lookup traversal paths are unpredictable to off-path adversaries, breaking the deterministic eviction gadget. Cache the computed 64-bit SipHash (hash) in struct inet_peer and compute the target hash (dhash) once at the beginning of inet_getpeer() to avoid recomputing SipHash at every step of the RB-tree walk.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-09-17
Last modified 2026-09-18
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

9.4

out of 10
Critical
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
Low
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.14 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.110, 6.18.52, 7.2.6, 7.3-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.14
Fixed in
✓ 6.1.188 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.157 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.110 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.52 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.6 7.2.x ✓ 7.3-rc1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-90110?

    CVE-2026-90110 is a Critical severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.4 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.14 onward and has been patched in 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.110 and others. CVE-2026-90110 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-90110?

    CVE-2026-90110 has a CVSS score of 9.4 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:L .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-90110?

    Yes. CVE-2026-90110 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.110 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.14 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-90110 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-90110 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.