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CVE-2026-98497: net/mlx5e: fix swapped IPv6 IPsec policy masks

• Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
• Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
• EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
• Public exploit or detection template: none known
• Published: 2026-10-18 · updated 2026-10-24

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: fix swapped IPv6 IPsec policy masks IPv6 XFRM policies may use different source and destination prefix lengths. mlx5e_ipsec_policy_mask() builds the corresponding masks independently, but setup_fte_addr6() installs each mask in the opposite address field. When the prefix lengths differ, this makes the source match use the destination prefix and the destination match use the source prefix. The resulting hardware rule can both miss traffic covered by the policy and match traffic outside it. Install each mask in its corresponding match field.

Affected products

• Linux kernel: 6.15 — fixed in 7.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/10de7ed8ef4840da9ca21de4c29578657ac367db
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3803dc8477f08e0dac4050cafee0de43f32727be
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e73f832f0a7b2c6ea45b2124c732d639be97b547

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