CVE-2026-43040: net: ipv6: ndisc: fix ndisc_ra_useropt to initialize nduseropt_padX fields to zero to prevent an info-leak

Severity: high (CVSS 7.1 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-05-01 · updated 2026-10-15
Weakness: CWE-909

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ipv6: ndisc: fix ndisc_ra_useropt to initialize nduseropt_padX fields to zero to prevent an info-leak When processing Router Advertisements with user options the kernel builds an RTM_NEWNDUSEROPT netlink message. The nduseroptmsg struct has three padding fields that are never zeroed and can leak kernel data The fix is simple, just zeroes the padding fields.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 2.6.24 before 5.10.253; from 5.11 before 5.15.203; from 5.16 before 6.1.168; from 6.2 before 6.6.134; from 6.7 before 6.12.81; from 6.13 before 6.18.22 — fixed in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.12.81, 6.18.22, 6.19.12

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.12.81. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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