CVE-2026-31675: net/sched: sch_netem: fix out-of-bounds access in packet corruption

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-04-25 · updated 2026-10-30
Weakness: CWE-125

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: sch_netem: fix out-of-bounds access in packet corruption In netem_enqueue(), the packet corruption logic uses get_random_u32_below(skb_headlen(skb)) to select an index for modifying skb->data. When an AF_PACKET TX_RING sends fully non-linear packets over an IPIP tunnel, skb_headlen(skb) evaluates to 0. Passing 0 to get_random_u32_below() takes the variable-ceil slow path which returns an unconstrained 32-bit random integer. Using this unconstrained value as an offset into skb->data results in an out-of-bounds memory access. Fix this by verifying skb_headlen(skb) is non-zero before attempting to corrupt the linear data area. Fully non-linear packets will silently bypass the corruption logic.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 2.6.16 before 6.6.134; from 6.7 before 6.12.81; from 6.13 before 6.18.22; from 6.19 before 6.19.12; 7.0-rc1, 7.0-rc2, 7.0-rc3, 7.0-rc4, 7.0-rc5, 7.0-rc6 — fixed in 6.6.134, 6.12.81, 6.18.22, 6.19.12
Linux: 2.6.16 — fixed in 7.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.6.134, 6.12.81, 6.18.22, 6.19.12; Linux 7.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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