Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2026-45856
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 · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/uverbs: Validate wqe_size before using it in ib_uverbs_post_send ib_uverbs_post_send() uses cmd.wqe_size from userspace without any validation before passing it to kmalloc() and using the allocated buffer as struct ib_uverbs_send_wr. If a user provides a small wqe_size value (e.g., 1), kmalloc() will succeed, but subsequent accesses to user_wr->opcode, user_wr->num_sge, and other fields will read beyond the allocated buffer, resulting in an out-of-bounds read from kernel heap memory. This could potentially leak sensitive kernel information to userspace. Additionally, providing an excessively large wqe_size can trigger a WARNING in the memory allocation path, as reported by syzkaller. This is inconsistent with ib_uverbs_unmarshall_recv() which properly validates that wqe_size >= sizeof(struct ib_uverbs_recv_wr) before proceeding. Add the same validation for ib_uverbs_post_send() to ensure wqe_size is at least sizeof(struct ib_uverbs_send_wr).
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 analysisThe code reads past the end (or before the start) of a buffer, returning memory that was never meant to be exposed. Attackers use it to leak secrets like keys or to defeat memory-protection defences. Remediation is validating indices and lengths before every read.
General guidance for the out-of-bounds read class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
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
>= 5.0, < 5.10.252>= 5.11, < 5.15.202>= 5.16, < 6.1.165>= 6.2, < 6.6.128>= 6.7, < 6.12.75>= 6.13, < 6.18.14>= 6.19, < 6.19.4CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 · scoped5.10.2525.15.2026.1.165
Upgrade to kernel 5.10.252, 5.15.202, 6.1.165, or 6.6.128 (or later) depending on your current branch
- 1. Identify the current kernel version by running `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version`
- 2. Determine which version range the current kernel falls into from the affected versions list
- 3. Plan an upgrade to a kernel version at or above the minimum fixed version for your branch: for 5.0-5.10.x upgrade to >=5.10.252, for 5.11-5.15.x upgrade to >=5.15.202, for 5.16-6.1.x upgrade to >=6.1.165, for 6.2-6.6.x upgrade to >=6.6.128
- 4. Obtain the kernel upgrade from your distribution's official repositories or kernel.org (https://kernel.org)
- 5. Test the new kernel in a staging environment before deploying to production
- 6. Reboot into the patched kernel and verify the system boots successfully
- 7. Confirm the fix is applied by checking the kernel source for the validation of wqe_size >= sizeof(struct ib_uverbs_send_wr) in ib_uverbs_post_send()
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-45856 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-45856 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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