CVE-2026-97417Network attack vectorHinoki check available

Kernel crash via misaligned TCP option dereference

Published Sep 24, 2026 · Updated Sep 24, 2026

Unaligned memory access in Linux nf_conntrack allows remote attackers to crash the kernel on strict-alignment systems via TCP traffic. In tcp_sack(), the timestamp-only fast path casts the TCP option pointer to __be32 and dereferences it even though the option stream lacks guaranteed four-byte alignment. Exposure requires nf_conntrack to process a SACK-negotiated flow with timestamp-only options on a strict-alignment architecture; the bounded consequence is a kernel fault and service interruption.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.49%
Next 30 days · Oct 19, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkAvailable
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Summary

What happened

Unaligned memory access in Linux nf_conntrack allows remote attackers to crash the kernel on strict-alignment systems via TCP traffic. In tcp_sack(), the timestamp-only fast path casts the TCP option pointer to __be32 and dereferences it even though the option stream lacks guaranteed four-byte alignment. Exposure requires nf_conntrack to process a SACK-negotiated flow with timestamp-only options on a strict-alignment architecture; the bounded consequence is a kernel fault and service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-97417
Published
Sep 24, 2026
Updated
Sep 24, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 24, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 24, 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=0 <6.12.111
  2. Affected versionversion=0 <6.18.53
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <4abc1af7ac209c066f4e5dd75cdd56876e5829a9
  4. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <7ecfa46a536578a7ed335ddf31a854127268c27c
  5. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <d3bf9eae486490832bd08fd62ab0ac601f346bd4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=0 <6.12.111; version=0 <6.18.53; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <4abc1af7ac209c066f4e5dd75cdd56876e5829a9; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <7ecfa46a536578a7ed335ddf31a854127268c27c; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <d3bf9eae486490832bd08fd62ab0ac601f346bd4

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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.

Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 22, 2026Sep 28, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 28, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.004Application 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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