CVE-2026-43336: lib/crypto: chacha: Zeroize permuted_state before it leaves scope

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-05-08 · updated 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: lib/crypto: chacha: Zeroize permuted_state before it leaves scope Since the ChaCha permutation is invertible, the local variable 'permuted_state' is sufficient to compute the original 'state', and thus the key, even after the permutation has been done. While the kernel is quite inconsistent about zeroizing secrets on the stack (and some prominent userspace crypto libraries don't bother at all since it's not guaranteed to work anyway), the kernel does try to do it as a best practice, especially in cases involving the RNG. Thus, explicitly zeroize 'permuted_state' before it goes out of scope.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 4.2 before 5.10.253; from 5.11 before 5.15.203; from 5.16 before 6.1.169; from 6.2 before 6.6.135; from 6.7 before 6.12.82; from 6.13 before 6.18.22 — fixed in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.169, 6.12.82, 6.18.22, 6.19.12

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.169, 6.12.82. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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