Kernel memory corruption via undersized stats region
Published Mar 18, 2026 · Updated Mar 18, 2026
Out-of-bounds write in the Linux Kernel gve driver allows local users to corrupt kernel memory by increasing device queue counts. The driver resizes its shared stats-report region to the current queue count, while the NIC derives its stats offset from a larger layout and writes beyond the allocation after an increase. Reaching the resize requires CAP_NET_ADMIN in the initial network namespace, effectively uid 0 on Ubuntu; decreasing the count instead creates a gap and inaccurate statistics.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds write in the Linux Kernel gve driver allows local users to corrupt kernel memory by increasing device queue counts. The driver resizes its shared stats-report region to the current queue count, while the NIC derives its stats offset from a larger layout and writes beyond the allocation after an increase. Reaching the resize requires CAP_NET_ADMIN in the initial network namespace, effectively uid 0 on Ubuntu; decreasing the count instead creates a gap and inaccurate statistics.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-23262
- Published
- Mar 18, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 18, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-787
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 18, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=24aeb56f2d38edf1b324bdb4f8bc6faf9f0f540c <11f8311f69e4c361717371b4901ff92daeb76e9c
- Affected versionversion=24aeb56f2d38edf1b324bdb4f8bc6faf9f0f540c <7b9ebcce0296e104a0d82a6b09d68564806158ff
- Affected versionversion=24aeb56f2d38edf1b324bdb4f8bc6faf9f0f540c <837c662f47dac43efa1aef2dd433c6b4b4c073af
- Affected versionversion=24aeb56f2d38edf1b324bdb4f8bc6faf9f0f540c <9d93332397405b62a3300b22d04ac65d990b91ff
- Affected versionversion=24aeb56f2d38edf1b324bdb4f8bc6faf9f0f540c <9fa0a755db3e1945fe00f73fe27d85ef6c8818b7
- Affected versionversion=24aeb56f2d38edf1b324bdb4f8bc6faf9f0f540c <df54838ab61826ecc1a562ffa5e280c3ab7289a7
- Affected versionversion=24aeb56f2d38edf1b324bdb4f8bc6faf9f0f540c <f432f7613c220db32c2c6942420daf7b3f2e7d7e
- Affected versionversion=5.10
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Your stack
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Your stack
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