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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-23276

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.6.36 / 6.12.78 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: add xmit recursion limit to tunnel xmit functions Tunnel xmit functions (iptunnel_xmit, ip6tunnel_xmit) lack their own recursion limit. When a bond device in broadcast mode has GRE tap interfaces as slaves, and those GRE tunnels route back through the bond, multicast/broadcast traffic triggers infinite recursion between bond_xmit_broadcast() and ip_tunnel_xmit()/ip6_tnl_xmit(), causing kernel stack overflow. The existing XMIT_RECURSION_LIMIT (8) in the no-qdisc path is not sufficient because tunnel recursion involves route lookups and full IP output, consuming much more stack per level. Use a lower limit of 4 (IP_TUNNEL_RECURSION_LIMIT) to prevent overflow. Add recursion detection using dev_xmit_recursion helpers directly in iptunnel_xmit() and ip6tunnel_xmit() to cover all IPv4/IPv6 tunnel paths including UDP encapsulated tunnels (VXLAN, Geneve, etc.). Move dev_xmit_recursion helpers from net/core/dev.h to public header include/linux/netdevice.h so they can be used by tunnel code. BUG: KASAN: stack-out-of-bounds in blake2s.constprop.0+0xe7/0x160 Write of size 32 at addr ffff88810033fed0 by task kworker/0:1/11 Workqueue: mld mld_ifc_work Call Trace: <TASK> __build_flow_key.constprop.0 (net/ipv4/route.c:515) ip_rt_update_pmtu (net/ipv4/route.c:1073) iptunnel_xmit (net/ipv4/ip_tunnel_core.c:84) ip_tunnel_xmit (net/ipv4/ip_tunnel.c:847) gre_tap_xmit (net/ipv4/ip_gre.c:779) dev_hard_start_xmit (net/core/dev.c:3887) sch_direct_xmit (net/sched/sch_generic.c:347) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4802) bond_dev_queue_xmit (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:312) bond_xmit_broadcast (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:5279) bond_start_xmit (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:5530) dev_hard_start_xmit (net/core/dev.c:3887) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4841) ip_finish_output2 (net/ipv4/ip_output.c:237) ip_output (net/ipv4/ip_output.c:438) iptunnel_xmit (net/ipv4/ip_tunnel_core.c:86) gre_tap_xmit (net/ipv4/ip_gre.c:779) dev_hard_start_xmit (net/core/dev.c:3887) sch_direct_xmit (net/sched/sch_generic.c:347) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4802) bond_dev_queue_xmit (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:312) bond_xmit_broadcast (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:5279) bond_start_xmit (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:5530) dev_hard_start_xmit (net/core/dev.c:3887) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4841) ip_finish_output2 (net/ipv4/ip_output.c:237) ip_output (net/ipv4/ip_output.c:438) iptunnel_xmit (net/ipv4/ip_tunnel_core.c:86) ip_tunnel_xmit (net/ipv4/ip_tunnel.c:847) gre_tap_xmit (net/ipv4/ip_gre.c:779) dev_hard_start_xmit (net/core/dev.c:3887) sch_direct_xmit (net/sched/sch_generic.c:347) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4802) bond_dev_queue_xmit (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:312) bond_xmit_broadcast (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:5279) bond_start_xmit (drivers/net/bonding/bond_main.c:5530) dev_hard_start_xmit (net/core/dev.c:3887) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4841) mld_sendpack mld_ifc_work process_one_work worker_thread </TASK>

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 2.6.35.9, < 2.6.36>= 2.6.37, < 6.12.78>= 6.13, < 6.18.19>= 6.19, < 6.19.9= 7.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.6.36 / 6.12.78 / 6.18.19 or later
Fixed in 2.6.366.12.786.18.19
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.12.78 (for 6.12.x), 6.18.19 (for 6.18.x), 6.19.9 (for 6.19.x), or 2.6.36+ (for 2.6.x)

  1. 1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your kernel comes from (e.g., 6.12.x, 6.13.x, 6.18.x, 6.19.x, or 2.6.x)
  3. 3. For kernels in the 6.12.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 6.12.78 or later
  4. 4. For kernels in the 6.18.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 6.18.19 or later
  5. 5. For kernels in the 6.19.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 6.19.9 or later
  6. 6. For kernels in the 2.6.x branch: upgrade to a version >= 2.6.36 (or preferably migrate to a maintained LTS kernel)
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the fix is present by checking that `iptunnel_xmit` and `ip6tunnel_xmit` functions include recursion limit checking
  8. 8. Reboot into the new kernel and verify system stability
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching system utilities and drivers; some older hardware may lack modern kernel support

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

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