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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-45988

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.140 / 6.12.86 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: rxrpc: Fix re-decryption of RESPONSE packets If a RESPONSE packet gets a temporary failure during processing, it may end up in a partially decrypted state - and then get requeued for a retry. Fix this by just discarding the packet; we will send another CHALLENGE packet and thereby elicit a further response. Similarly, discard an incoming CHALLENGE packet if we get an error whilst generating a RESPONSE; the server will send another CHALLENGE.

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 · moderate confidence

In the Linux kernel's rxrpc implementation, RESPONSE packets that experience temporary failures during processing can end up in a partially decrypted state and then get requeued for retry. Similarly, CHALLENGE packets encountered during RESPONSE generation errors are problematic. This could lead to security issues with improperly handled cryptographic state. The fix discards these problematic packets and elicits fresh CHALLENGE/RESPONSE cycles.

MitigationApply the kernel patch that discards partially decrypted RESPONSE packets and CHALLENGE packets encountered during RESPONSE generation errors, rather than requeuing them for retry. This requires updating the Linux kernel.

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:>= 2.6.22, < 6.6.140>= 6.7, < 6.12.86>= 6.13, < 6.18.27>= 6.19, < 7.0.4

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 against affected ranges
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to get the kernel version, then compare against: >= 2.6.22 AND < 6.6.140; OR >= 6.7 AND < 6.12.86; OR >= 6.13 AND < 6.18.27; OR >= 6.19 AND < 7.0.4
    Affected if The installed kernel version falls within any of the listed affected ranges AND the rxrpc module is available on the system
  2. Verify rxrpc kernel module availability
    Run 'modinfo rxrpc 2>/dev/null' or check for /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/net/rxrpc/rxrpc.ko
    Affected if The rxrpc kernel module exists on the system, indicating the component that contains the vulnerability is present
  3. Check if rxrpc module is currently loaded
    Run 'lsmod | grep rxrpc' or check /proc/modules for rxrpc
    Affected if The rxrpc module is currently loaded into kernel memory, meaning the vulnerable code path could be exercised
  4. Look for active rxrpc usage or errors
    Run 'ss -x | grep rxrpc' to check for active rxrpc sockets, and check dmesg or journalctl for rxrpc-related errors
    Affected if The system is actively using rxrpc (has established connections) or has logged rxrpc errors related to CHALLENGE/RESPONSE packet handling

The system is affected if it runs a kernel version within the affected ranges AND has the rxrpc kernel module available, particularly if rxrpc is actively in use.

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 6.6.140 / 6.12.86 / 6.18.27 or later
Fixed in 6.6.1406.12.866.18.27
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Interim mitigation

Apply the kernel patch that discards partially decrypted RESPONSE packets and CHALLENGE packets encountered during RESPONSE generation errors, rather than requeuing them for retry. This requires updating the Linux kernel.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to kernel 6.6.140+ (if on 6.6.x), 6.12.86+ (if on 6.7-6.12.x), 6.18.27+ (if on 6.13-6.18.x), or 7.0.4+ (if on 6.19-7.0.x)

  1. Identify the current running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Determine which kernel version branch you are running (e.g., 6.6.x, 6.12.x, 6.18.x, or 6.19.x)
  3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to the first fixed version in your branch: for 6.6.x upgrade to >= 6.6.140, for 6.7-6.12.x upgrade to >= 6.12.86, for 6.13-6.18.x upgrade to >= 6.18.27, for 6.19-7.0.x upgrade to >= 7.0.4
  4. Use your distribution's package manager to install the updated kernel (e.g., `apt-get update && apt-get install linux-image-<version>` for Debian/Ubuntu, or `yum update kernel` for RHEL/CentOS)
  5. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
  6. Verify the new kernel version is running with `uname -r` and confirm it contains the fix by checking the rxrpc module or kernel config
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party modules; ensure compatibility with drivers or modules specific to your environment before rebooting

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

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2026-45988 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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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data