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Response snapshot Oct 26, 2026, 22:45 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-98401

Linux kernel: net: iptunnel: fix stale transport header during tunnel decapsulation

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: iptunnel: fix stale transport header during tunnel decapsulation Syzbot reported a crash in qdisc_pkt_len_segs_init() caused by a stale transport_header offset after tunnel decapsulation.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.5 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
0.6% in the next 30 days
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2026-98401 (opens a new tab)

What happened

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: iptunnel: fix stale transport header during tunnel decapsulation

Syzbot reported a crash in qdisc_pkt_len_segs_init() caused by a stale transport_header offset after tunnel decapsulation.

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffed102091a42e Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 340 Comm: qdisc_uaf_repro Not tainted 7.2.0-rc4-00061-g248951ddc14d #256 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:__asan_load2 <IRQ> qdisc_pkt_len_segs_init (net/core/dev.c:4145) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.

Continue reading

c:4787) br_dev_queue_push_xmit (net/bridge/br_forward.c:53) br_handle_frame_finish (net/bridge/br_input.c:229) br_handle_frame (net/bridge/br_input.c:315) __netif_receive_skb_core.constprop.0 (net/core/dev.c:6099) __netif_receive_skb_list_core (net/core/dev.c:6287) netif_receive_skb_list_internal (net/core/dev.c:6445) napi_complete_done (net/core/dev.c:6813) gro_cell_poll (net/core/gro_cells.

c:74) __napi_poll (net/core/dev.c:7735) net_rx_action (net/core/dev.c:7798 net/core/dev.c:7955) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:622) do_softirq (kernel/softirq.c:523 kernel/softirq.c:510 ) __local_bh_enable_ip (kernel/softirq.c:450) tun_get_user (drivers/net/tun.c:1986 (discriminator 1)) tun_chr_write_iter (drivers/net/tun.c:2032)

The issue is completely latent until qdisc read transport header in commit 7fb4c1967011 ("net: pull headers in qdisc_pkt_len_segs_init()"). The crash requires four conditions to line up:

1. The incoming packet is encapsulated and carries GSO metadata. The outer transport header offset is stored in skb->transport_header while the packet is still in the outer tunnel context. 2. The tunnel receiver strips the outer headers. skb->data is advanced to the inner frame, but skb->transport_header is left pointing to the now-removed outer L4 header, so it becomes a negative offset relative to the new data. 3.

The inner frame is not delivered to the local IP stack. Instead, it is forwarded at L2 by a bridge or HSR, so ip_rcv_core() never runs and the transport header is not reset to the inner L4 offset. 4. The forwarding path calls __dev_queue_xmit(), which enters qdisc_pkt_len_segs_init(). That function computes the GSO header length from skb_transport_offset(skb).

Because the offset is negative, the unsigned cast overflows and pskb_may_pull(skb, hdr_len + sizeof(struct tcphdr)) reads past the end of the skb, triggering a KASAN fault or page fault.

The issue specifically requires GSO packets (shinfo->gso_size != 0), which are processed/aggregated through gro_cells. Fix this by clearing transport_header to the ~0U sentinel in gro_cell for all tunnnel driver. GTP does not support GRO/GSO, drop the evil GSO packets in GTP directly.

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

7.5

Version 3.1As of

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

0.6%

Scored Percentile 48.2%

Model and measurement source (opens a new tab)

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-98401 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-98401, scored 2026-10-26. This is a model estimate, not proof of exposure.

    Published Checked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 24). Linux kernel: net: iptunnel: fix stale transport header during tunnel decapsulation (CVE-2026-98401). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98401

MLA

"Linux kernel: net: iptunnel: fix stale transport header during tunnel decapsulation (CVE-2026-98401)." KEVWire, 24 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98401.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: net: iptunnel: fix stale transport header during tunnel decapsulation (CVE-2026-98401)." Last modified October 24, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98401.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: net: iptunnel: fix stale transport header during tunnel decapsulation (Oct 14, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: iptunnel: fix stale transport header during tunnel decapsulation

Syzbot reported a crash in qdisc_pkt_len_segs_init() caused by a stale
transport_header offset after tunnel decapsulation.

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffed102091a42e
Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI
CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 340 Comm: qdisc_uaf_repro Not tainted 7.2.0-rc4-00061-g248951ddc14d #256 PREEMPT(full)
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:__asan_load2
<IRQ>
qdisc_pkt_len_segs_init (net/core/dev.c:4145)
__dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4787)
br_dev_queue_push_xmit (net/bridge/br_forward.c:53)
br_handle_frame_finish (net/bridge/br_input.c:229)
br_handle_frame (net/bridge/br_input.c:315)
__netif_receive_skb_core.constprop.0 (net/core/dev.c:6099)
__netif_receive_skb_list_core (net/core/dev.c:6287)
netif_receive_skb_list_internal (net/core/dev.c:6445)
napi_complete_done (net/core/dev.c:6813)
gro_cell_poll (net/core/gro_cells.c:74)
__napi_poll (net/core/dev.c:7735)
net_rx_action (net/core/dev.c:7798 net/core/dev.c:7955)
handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:622)
do_softirq (kernel/softirq.c:523  kernel/softirq.c:510 )
__local_bh_enable_ip (kernel/softirq.c:450)
tun_get_user (drivers/net/tun.c:1986 (discriminator 1))
tun_chr_write_iter (drivers/net/tun.c:2032)

The issue is completely latent until qdisc read transport header in
commit 7fb4c1967011 ("net: pull headers in qdisc_pkt_len_segs_init()").
The crash requires four conditions to line up:

1. The incoming packet is encapsulated and carries GSO metadata. The outer
   transport header offset is stored in skb->transport_header while the
   packet is still in the outer tunnel context.
2. The tunnel receiver strips the outer headers. skb->data is advanced to
   the inner frame, but skb->transport_header is left pointing to the
   now-removed outer L4 header, so it becomes a negative offset relative to
   the new data.
3. The inner frame is not delivered to the local IP stack. Instead, it
   is forwarded at L2 by a bridge or HSR, so ip_rcv_core() never runs and
   the transport header is not rese
CVSS 7.5 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 24, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98401).
EPSS 0.6% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98401&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-98401: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98401
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?pubStartDate=2026-10-12T13:35:55.142Z&pubEndDate=2026-10-26T13:35:55.142Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=3000
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98401&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-98401.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 26, 2026, 19:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Received. Publication in the NVD is not evidence of exploitation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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Record details

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