CVE-2026-23278

Local kernel compromise via incomplete catchall traversal

Published Mar 20, 2026 · Updated Mar 20, 2026

Improper catchall handling in Linux Kernel nf_tables allows local users to compromise kernel confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Transaction cleanup stops after the first viable catchall instead of toggling every pending element, leaving chain references inconsistent during map removal. Exploitation requires low-privilege local access and a transaction that deletes a map containing both live and pending catchall elements.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper catchall handling in Linux Kernel nf_tables allows local users to compromise kernel confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Transaction cleanup stops after the first viable catchall instead of toggling every pending element, leaving chain references inconsistent during map removal. Exploitation requires low-privilege local access and a transaction that deletes a map containing both live and pending catchall elements.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23278
Published
Mar 20, 2026
Updated
Mar 20, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 20, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 20, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=25aa2ad37c2162be1c0bc4fe6397f7e4c13f00f8
  2. Affected versionversion=3c7ec098e3b588434a8b07ea9b5b36f04cef1f50
  3. Affected versionversion=628bd3e49cba1c066228e23d71a852c23e26da73 <77c26b5056d693ffe5e9f040e946251cdb55ae55
  4. Affected versionversion=628bd3e49cba1c066228e23d71a852c23e26da73 <7cb9a23d7ae40a702577d3d8bacb7026f04ac2a9
  5. Affected versionversion=628bd3e49cba1c066228e23d71a852c23e26da73 <de47a88c6b807910f05703fb6605f7efdaa11417
  6. Affected versionversion=6.4
  7. Affected versionversion=a136b7942ad2a50de708f76ea299ccb45ac7a7f9
  8. Affected versionversion=bc9f791d2593f17e39f87c6e2b3a36549a3705b1
  9. Affected versionversion=d60be2da67d172aecf866302c91ea11533eca4d9
  10. Affected versionversion=dc7cdf8cbcbf8b13de1df93f356ec04cdeef5c41

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=25aa2ad37c2162be1c0bc4fe6397f7e4c13f00f8; version=3c7ec098e3b588434a8b07ea9b5b36f04cef1f50; version=628bd3e49cba1c066228e23d71a852c23e26da73 <77c26b5056d693ffe5e9f040e946251cdb55ae55; version=628bd3e49cba1c066228e23d71a852c23e26da73 <7cb9a23d7ae40a702577d3d8bacb7026f04ac2a9; version=628bd3e49cba1c066228e23d71a852c23e26da73 <de47a88c6b807910f05703fb6605f7efdaa11417; version=6.4; version=a136b7942ad2a50de708f76ea299ccb45ac7a7f9; version=bc9f791d2593f17e39f87c6e2b3a36549a3705b1; version=d60be2da67d172aecf866302c91ea11533eca4d9; version=dc7cdf8cbcbf8b13de1df93f356ec04cdeef5c41

Published CVSS scores

7.8kernel.orgCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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