CVE-2026-97965

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vxlan: initialize _md in vxlan_xmit_one() If a VXLAN device is configured with both VXLAN_F_COLLECT_METADATA and VXLAN_F_GBP, and a packet is transmitted through it using an external ip_tunnel_info that lacks the IP_TUNNEL_VXLAN_OPT_BIT flag, md is left pointing to the uninitialized _md stack variable: if (test_bit(IP_TUNNEL_VXLAN_OPT_BIT, info->key.tun_flags)) { if (info->options_len < sizeof(*md)) goto drop; md = ip_tunnel_info_opts(info); } Because IP_TUNNEL_VXLAN_OPT_BIT is not set, md is not updated and remains pointing to _md. Later, vxlan_build_skb() is called with md, which eventually calls vxlan_build_gbp_hdr(): if (vxflags & VXLAN_F_GBP) vxlan_build_gbp_hdr(vxh, md); Inside vxlan_build_gbp_hdr(), md->gbp is read: if (!md->gbp) return; gbp = (struct vxlanhdr_gbp *)vxh; ... if (md->gbp & VXLAN_GBP_DONT_LEARN) gbp->dont_learn = 1; If the stack contains garbage, this causes: 1) VXLAN_HF_GBP flag to be spuriously set in the VXLAN header. 2) gbp->dont_learn and gbp->policy_applied to be set from stack bits. 3) gbp->policy_id to receive 16 bits of uninitialized kernel stack data, leaking it onto the wire. Fix this by zero-initializing _md. If IP_TUNNEL_VXLAN_OPT_BIT is not present, md->gbp remains 0, and vxlan_build_gbp_hdr() returns early without modifying the VXLAN header.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-09-25
Last modified 2026-09-25
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.3 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3-rc3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.3
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.111 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.53 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.7 7.2.x ✓ 7.3-rc3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-97965?

    CVE-2026-97965 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.3 onward and has been patched in 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7 and others. CVE-2026-97965 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-97965?

    Yes. CVE-2026-97965 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.3 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-97965 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-97965 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.