Kernel memory corruption via inconsistent TX_RING header length
Published Aug 22, 2026 · Updated Aug 27, 2026
Race condition in the Linux kernel 2.6.31 and later allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through AF_PACKET TX_RING sends. In tpacket_snd(), repeated reads of a concurrently changing dev->hard_header_len let tpacket_fill_skb() push more header bytes than the allocated headroom or derive a negative copy length. Exploitation requires local packet-socket access and concurrent netdevice reconfiguration; the published record does not bound the resulting impact beyond unsafe kernel buffer handling.
Summary
What happened
Race condition in the Linux kernel 2.6.31 and later allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through AF_PACKET TX_RING sends. In tpacket_snd(), repeated reads of a concurrently changing dev->hard_header_len let tpacket_fill_skb() push more header bytes than the allocated headroom or derive a negative copy length. Exploitation requires local packet-socket access and concurrent netdevice reconfiguration; the published record does not bound the resulting impact beyond unsafe kernel buffer handling.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74668
- Published
- Aug 22, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 27, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 27, 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=2.6.31
- Affected versionversion=69e3c75f4d541a6eb151b3ef91f34033cb3ad6e1 <016763e829cac37b3234eace86fd0a4c560de4a7
- Affected versionversion=69e3c75f4d541a6eb151b3ef91f34033cb3ad6e1 <21b5953e7494c16a42e6cd8cf110e18d13ae4a6b
- Affected versionversion=69e3c75f4d541a6eb151b3ef91f34033cb3ad6e1 <27e068d1b35dbec10a3cf268887c94407be4badc
- Affected versionversion=69e3c75f4d541a6eb151b3ef91f34033cb3ad6e1 <2a73b2c37ee3060a880b53cd24783d93fc7be5f8
- Affected versionversion=69e3c75f4d541a6eb151b3ef91f34033cb3ad6e1 <9c7e8ff48c377bef18c3d178748aea0575b69ede
- Affected versionversion=69e3c75f4d541a6eb151b3ef91f34033cb3ad6e1 <d48ea5c9c4c34dc0df621f0e39ed3a16b644621a
- Affected versionversion=69e3c75f4d541a6eb151b3ef91f34033cb3ad6e1 <d85d2fd54e901637c81d847811e03c662aee13cd
- Affected versionversion=69e3c75f4d541a6eb151b3ef91f34033cb3ad6e1 <e79f59a8527a49078cfaf8fe8fb5fcefc20c76d2
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
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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