CVE-2026-43070: bpf: Reset register ID for BPF_END value tracking

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 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: 2026-05-05 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-125

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Reset register ID for BPF_END value tracking When a register undergoes a BPF_END (byte swap) operation, its scalar value is mutated in-place. If this register previously shared a scalar ID with another register (e.g., after an `r1 = r0` assignment), this tie must be broken. Currently, the verifier misses resetting `dst_reg->id` to 0 for BPF_END. Consequently, if a conditional jump checks the swapped register, the verifier incorrectly propagates the learned bounds to the linked register, leading to false confidence in the linked register's value and potentially allowing out-of-bounds memory accesses. Fix this by explicitly resetting `dst_reg->id` to 0 in the BPF_END case to break the scalar tie, similar to how BPF_NEG handles it via `__mark_reg_known`.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 6.18.17 before 6.18.21; from 6.19.7 before 6.19.11; 7.0-rc1, 7.0-rc2, 7.0-rc3, 7.0-rc4 — fixed in 6.18.21, 6.19.11

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.18.21, 6.19.11. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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