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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-43039

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.19.12 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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: ti: icssg-prueth: fix missing data copy and wrong recycle in ZC RX dispatch emac_dispatch_skb_zc() allocates a new skb via napi_alloc_skb() but never copies the packet data from the XDP buffer into it. The skb is passed up the stack containing uninitialized heap memory instead of the actual received packet, leaking kernel heap contents to userspace. Copy the received packet data from the XDP buffer into the skb using skb_copy_to_linear_data(). Additionally, remove the skb_mark_for_recycle() call since the skb is backed by the NAPI page frag allocator, not page_pool. Marking a non-page_pool skb for recycle causes the free path to return pages to a page_pool that does not own them, corrupting page_pool state. The non-ZC path (emac_rx_packet) does not have these issues because it uses napi_build_skb() to wrap the existing page_pool page directly, requiring no copy, and correctly marks for recycle since the page comes from page_pool_dev_alloc_pages().

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 · high confidence

In the Linux kernel TI ICSSG PRU-ETH driver, the ZC (Zero Copy) RX path allocates an skb via napi_alloc_skb() but fails to copy received packet data from the XDP buffer, causing kernel heap memory to leak to userspace. Additionally, an incorrect skb_mark_for_recycle() call marks an skb backed by NAPI page frag allocator for page_pool recycling, leading to page_pool state corruption.

MitigationApply the kernel patch to copy packet data into the skb using skb_copy_to_linear_data() and remove the erroneous skb_mark_for_recycle() call; prioritize given CRITICAL severity and heap leak impact.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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:>= 6.19, < 6.19.12= 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to get the running kernel version
    Affected if Kernel version is >= 6.19 and < 6.19.12, or equals 7.0
  2. Verify TI ICSSG PRUeth driver presence
    Check for prueth module with 'lsmod | grep prueth' or search kernel config for CONFIG_TI_PRUETH (usually in /boot/config-* or /proc/config.gz)
    Affected if The prueth driver module is loaded or built into the kernel
  3. Identify PRUeth network interfaces
    Run 'ip link show' and look for interfaces like 'eth0', 'eth1' on TI SoC platforms (e.g., AM57xx, AM65x, J721e) that use the PRUeth driver. Check with 'ethtool -i <interface>' to confirm driver name 'prueth'
    Affected if Network interfaces managed by the prueth driver are present and active
  4. Confirm driver source file exists
    Check if the vulnerable source file drivers/net/ethernet/ti/icssg/icssg_prueth.c exists in the kernel tree. Look for emac_dispatch_skb_zc function symbol in /proc/kallsyms if available
    Affected if The driver source with the vulnerable function is present in the kernel

The environment is affected if the kernel version is 6.19.x where x >= 0 and x < 12, or is 7.0, AND the TI ICSSG PRUeth driver (prueth) is loaded or built in and active network interfaces depend on it.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 6.19.12 or later
Fixed in 6.19.12
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Interim mitigation

Apply the kernel patch to copy packet data into the skb using skb_copy_to_linear_data() and remove the erroneous skb_mark_for_recycle() call; prioritize given CRITICAL severity and heap leak impact.

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.19.12 or later (or 7.x series 7.1 or later)

  1. Back up current kernel configuration and any custom driver settings
  2. Download and install Linux kernel version 6.19.12 or later (or 7.x series version 7.1 or later if available)
  3. Reboot into the new kernel
  4. Verify the fix is present by checking the file net/ti/icssg_prueth.c contains the skb_copy_to_linear_data() call in emac_dispatch_skb_zc() and that skb_mark_for_recycle() has been removed from that function
  5. Verify the driver loads correctly and network functionality works as expected
Caveat Upgrading kernel may introduce changes to other drivers or kernel subsystems; ensure compatibility with userspace tools and other system components

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

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
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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

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-43039 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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