CVE-2026-98493
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ipconfig: bound DHCP option construction ic_dhcp_init_options() appends the hostname (option 12), vendor-class (option 60) and client-ID (option 61) options into the fixed 312-byte bootp_pkt.exten[] buffer. Only the client-ID branch checked the remaining space; the hostname and vendor-class writes were unbounded. A 64-byte hostname together with the maximum 252-byte dhcpclass= identifier needs 18 + (2 + 64) + (2 + 252) = 338 of the 312 available bytes even before the terminating END marker, so the vendor-class memcpy runs past the end of exten[]. With CONFIG_FORTIFY_SOURCE this is reported as a field-spanning write and, when the kernel is booted with panic_on_warn=1, aborts boot with a panic. Route the optional options through a common helper that makes sure the option, its 2-byte header and the END marker all fit and drops an option that would not. Configurations with short options keep sending exactly the same bytes as before.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
2.6.36
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.112,
6.18.55,
7.2.9,
7.3
and their respective stable series.
References
4 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-98493?
CVE-2026-98493 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.36 onward and has been patched in 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and others. CVE-2026-98493 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98493?
Yes. CVE-2026-98493 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.36 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-98493 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-98493 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.