CVE-2026-53074: bpf: reject short IPv4/IPv6 inputs in bpf_prog_test_run_skb

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 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: 2026-06-24 · updated 2026-07-21

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: reject short IPv4/IPv6 inputs in bpf_prog_test_run_skb bpf_prog_test_run_skb() calls eth_type_trans() first and then uses skb->protocol to initialize sk family and address fields for the test run. For IPv4 and IPv6 packets, it may access ip_hdr(skb) or ipv6_hdr(skb) even when the provided test input only contains an Ethernet header. Reject the input earlier if the Ethernet frame carries IPv4/IPv6 EtherType but the L3 header is too short. Fold the IPv4/IPv6 header length checks into the existing protocol switch and return -EINVAL before accessing the network headers.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 5.9 before 5.10.258; from 5.11 before 5.15.209; from 5.16 before 6.1.175; from 6.2 before 6.6.141; from 6.7 before 6.12.91; from 6.13 before 6.18.33 — fixed in 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.12.91, 6.18.33, 6.6.141

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.12.91. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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