Kernel panic via unchecked IPv6 route device
Published Oct 9, 2026 · Updated Oct 9, 2026
NULL dereference in Linux IPv6 rpfilter allows local users to crash the kernel via crafted routing state in private namespaces. In net/ipv6/netfilter/ip6t_rpfilter.c, rpfilter_lookup_reverse6() accepts a successful route lookup without checking rt6i_idev before dereferencing it; lowering a nexthop device's MTU below IPV6_MIN_MTU removes that device state while its routes remain. Exploitation requires access to private user and network namespaces and an IPv6 rpfilter lookup, producing a kernel panic rather than a documented privilege escalation.
Summary
What happened
NULL dereference in Linux IPv6 rpfilter allows local users to crash the kernel via crafted routing state in private namespaces. In net/ipv6/netfilter/ip6t_rpfilter.c, rpfilter_lookup_reverse6() accepts a successful route lookup without checking rt6i_idev before dereferencing it; lowering a nexthop device's MTU below IPV6_MIN_MTU removes that device state while its routes remain. Exploitation requires access to private user and network namespaces and an IPv6 rpfilter lookup, producing a kernel panic rather than a documented privilege escalation.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98379
- Published
- Oct 9, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 9, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 9, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 9, 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=3.3
- Affected versionversion=e26f9a480fb6c1b614660e824d69a74e2ce990f3 <1681ab6dd1271f2f36047490793b78b1848bbcc9
- Affected versionversion=e26f9a480fb6c1b614660e824d69a74e2ce990f3 <1b9b5323725e458906c7620a3bc10398b51ad954
- Affected versionversion=e26f9a480fb6c1b614660e824d69a74e2ce990f3 <290c96e5d9471d1ded9ab1e8ffbb04f6ee7b0f40
- Affected versionversion=e26f9a480fb6c1b614660e824d69a74e2ce990f3 <3a7384bc2e66217c9a01a392281334f4423740a0
- Affected versionversion=e26f9a480fb6c1b614660e824d69a74e2ce990f3 <65487e9e99431ffcf05024a817f51ee4e3bd9b47
- Affected versionversion=e26f9a480fb6c1b614660e824d69a74e2ce990f3 <eafe081ea77d25b5c8e601680671b4ecb4520e7d
- Affected versionversion=e26f9a480fb6c1b614660e824d69a74e2ce990f3 <f49da48bd679cfee646d6a40dd02b1933de577d1
- Affected versionversion=e26f9a480fb6c1b614660e824d69a74e2ce990f3 <f4de78756b0fddbd125b2b1b77c74f2eccc8e977
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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Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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