Kernel panic via uninitialized iovec read
Published Aug 19, 2026 · Updated Aug 19, 2026
Use of uninitialized memory in FreeBSD KTLS receive allows remote attackers to crash the kernel via a crafted TLS 1.2 CBC record. The ktls_ocf_tls_cbc_decrypt() function advances the iovec index for every mbuf in the chain, even mbufs skipped because they contain only the 5-byte TLS header, leaving uninitialized slots that later HMAC processing reads. Reachability requires receive-side KTLS with AES-CBC enabled and enough TCP segmentation control to place only the TLS record header in the first mbuf, and the consequence is a kernel panic rather than code execution.
Summary
What happened
Use of uninitialized memory in FreeBSD KTLS receive allows remote attackers to crash the kernel via a crafted TLS 1.2 CBC record. The ktls_ocf_tls_cbc_decrypt() function advances the iovec index for every mbuf in the chain, even mbufs skipped because they contain only the 5-byte TLS header, leaving uninitialized slots that later HMAC processing reads. Reachability requires receive-side KTLS with AES-CBC enabled and enough TCP segmentation control to place only the TLS record header in the first mbuf, and the consequence is a kernel panic rather than code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-49423
- Published
- Aug 19, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 19, 2026
- Vendor
- The FreeBSD Project
- Product
- FreeBSD
- Classifications
- CWE-908, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 19, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 19, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=14.3-RELEASE <p16
- Affected versionversion=14.4-RELEASE <p7
- Affected versionversion=15.0-RELEASE <p11
- Affected versionversion=15.1-RELEASE <p1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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