CVE-2026-43043

Local kernel panic via stale SGL end marker

Published May 1, 2026 · Updated May 1, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux Kernel AF_ALG interface allows local users to trigger a kernel panic through crafted sendmsg calls. When af_alg_alloc_tsgl() chains a new scatter-gather list, it leaves the prior list's terminal marker set, so scatterwalk reaches a premature end and sg_next() returns NULL. A local low-privileged process must fill one list to MAX_SGL_ENTS and submit another message; successful exploitation crashes the host without reported data disclosure or modification.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.11%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux Kernel AF_ALG interface allows local users to trigger a kernel panic through crafted sendmsg calls. When af_alg_alloc_tsgl() chains a new scatter-gather list, it leaves the prior list's terminal marker set, so scatterwalk reaches a premature end and sg_next() returns NULL. A local low-privileged process must fill one list to MAX_SGL_ENTS and submit another message; successful exploitation crashes the host without reported data disclosure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-43043
Published
May 1, 2026
Updated
May 1, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 1, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 1, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=2.6.38
  2. Affected versionversion=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <00cbdec17c15d024a1c5002c7365df7624a18a75
  3. Affected versionversion=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <44eafa39363e8d5dfda6a8c6eb6b45458ed4b948
  4. Affected versionversion=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <4b03ab0a587ec57eb7ddb5c115d84a42896f60f7
  5. Affected versionversion=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <62397b493e14107ae82d8b80938f293d95425bcb
  6. Affected versionversion=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <7195350fb78538c25cd790d703f8f2c73ee0d395
  7. Affected versionversion=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <7cdf2c6381b21ab5ccf8116750d5582fcd6c0f49
  8. Affected versionversion=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <f48d3dd99199180cf37d6253550c55e86372309a
  9. Affected versionversion=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <f9acceae7b004956851fd4268edf9f518a9bce04

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=2.6.38; version=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <00cbdec17c15d024a1c5002c7365df7624a18a75; version=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <44eafa39363e8d5dfda6a8c6eb6b45458ed4b948; version=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <4b03ab0a587ec57eb7ddb5c115d84a42896f60f7; version=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <62397b493e14107ae82d8b80938f293d95425bcb; version=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <7195350fb78538c25cd790d703f8f2c73ee0d395; version=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <7cdf2c6381b21ab5ccf8116750d5582fcd6c0f49; version=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <f48d3dd99199180cf37d6253550c55e86372309a; version=8ff590903d5fc7f5a0a988c38267a3d08e6393a2 <f9acceae7b004956851fd4268edf9f518a9bce04

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST National Vulnerability DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

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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