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Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-72444

🗓️ 15 Aug 2026 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com👁 4 Views

Linux kernel flow dissector reads uninitialized memory on L3 TUN devices, enabling potential DoS or info leaks.

Related
Refs
Code
ReporterTitlePublishedViews
Family
cve
CVE
CVE-2026-72444
15 Aug 202605:56
cve
cvelist
Cvelist
CVE-2026-72444 flow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS
15 Aug 202605:56
cvelist
debiancve
Debian CVE
CVE-2026-72444
15 Aug 202605:56
debiancve
euvd
EUVD
EUVD-2026-59343
15 Aug 202605:56
euvd
nvd
NVD
CVE-2026-72444
15 Aug 202606:22
nvd
osv
OSV
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72444
15 Aug 202606:22
osv
osv
OSV
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72444
17 Aug 202600:00
osv
ptsecurity
Positive Technologies
PT-2026-72632
15 Aug 202600:00
ptsecurity
#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(335675);
  script_version("1.1");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2026/08/15");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2026-72444");

  script_name(english:"Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-72444");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed with a vulnerability that the vendor indicates will not be
patched.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied
patch available.

  - flow_dissector: check device type before reading ETH_ADDRS __skb_flow_dissect() unconditionally reads 12
    bytes from eth_hdr(skb) when FLOW_DISSECTOR_KEY_ETH_ADDRS is requested. This assumes the skb has a valid
    Ethernet header at mac_header, which is not always the case. The problem can be triggered by: 1. Creating
    a TUN device in L3 mode (IFF_TUN, hard_header_len=0) 2. Attaching a multiq qdisc with a flower filter
    matching on eth_src 3. Sending a packet through AF_PACKET Since TUN in L3 mode has no link-layer header,
    mac_header points to the L3 data area. The flow dissector reads 12 bytes of uninitialized skb memory,
    which then propagates through fl_set_masked_key() and is used as a rhashtable lookup key in __fl_lookup(),
    as reported by KMSAN. Rejecting the filter in the control path (at tc filter add time) is not feasible
    because TC filter blocks can be shared between arbitrary devices -- a filter installed on an Ethernet
    device may later classify packets on a headerless device through a shared block. The device association is
    not fixed at filter creation time. Fix this by gating the memcpy on dev->type == ARPHRD_ETHER, which
    ensures only true Ethernet-framed packets have their addresses read. This is more precise than the
    previous hard_header_len >= 12 check, which would incorrectly pass for non-Ethernet link types like IPoIB
    (ARPHRD_INFINIBAND, hard_header_len=24) and FDDI (hard_header_len=21) whose L2 headers are not in Ethernet
    format. Additionally check skb_mac_header_was_set() to guard against the pathological case where
    mac_header is the unset sentinel (~0U), which would cause eth_hdr() to return a wild pointer. For the
    act_mirred redirect case (Ethernet packet redirected to a non-Ethernet device sharing a TC block), zeroing
    the key is the correct behavior: the packet is now being classified on the target device, where Ethernet
    address matching is not semantically meaningful. Note: on non-Ethernet devices, the zeroed key will match
    a filter configured with all-zero MAC addresses. This is an improvement over the previous behavior where
    uninitialized memory could randomly match any filter. (CVE-2026-72444)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-72444");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"There is no known solution at this time.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"agent", value:"unix");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:U/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:U/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2026-72444");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"false");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vendor_unpatched", value:"true");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2026/08/15");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2026/08/15");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:debian:debian_linux:11.0");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:linux");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"generated_plugin", value:"current");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Misc.");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2026 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info2.nasl", "set_linux_os_id.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/cpu", "Host/local_checks_enabled", "global_settings/vendor_unpatched", "Host/OS/identifier");
  script_require_ports("Host/OS/Debian Linux-11");

  exit(0);
}

if (!get_kb_item("global_settings/vendor_unpatched")) exit(0, "Unpatched Vulnerabilities Detection not active.");
if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);
if (empty_or_null(get_one_kb_item("Host/Debian/dpkg-l"))) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

include('linux_unpatched.inc');

var distro_constraints_array = {
  "Debian Linux-11": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "11",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "bpftool"},
          {"reference": "btrfs-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "cdrom-core-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "hyperv-daemons"},
          {"reference": "kernel-image-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "libcpupower-dev"},
          {"reference": "libcpupower1"},
          {"reference": "linux-bootwrapper-5.10.0"},
          {"reference": "linux-config-5.10"},
          {"reference": "linux-cpupower"},
          {"reference": "linux-doc"},
          {"reference": "linux-doc-5.10"},
          {"reference": "linux-headers-5.10.0"},
          {"reference": "linux-kbuild-5.10"},
          {"reference": "linux-libc-dev"},
          {"reference": "linux-perf"},
          {"reference": "linux-perf-5.10"},
          {"reference": "linux-source"},
          {"reference": "linux-source-5.10"},
          {"reference": "linux-support-5.10.0"},
          {"reference": "loop-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "nic-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "nic-shared-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "nic-wireless-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "pata-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "ppp-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "scsi-core-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "scsi-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "scsi-nic-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "serial-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "usb-serial-modules-5.10.0-32-alpha-generic-di"},
          {"reference": "usbip"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
};

var distro_constraints_values = linux_unpatched::get_distro_constraints(distro_constraints_arr:distro_constraints_array);
if (empty_or_null(distro_constraints_values)) audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');

var third_party_support = get_kb_item('Host/OS/extended-third-party');
if (!empty_or_null(third_party_support)) {
    var third_party_vendors = distro_constraints_values['third_party'];
    if (!empty_or_null(third_party_vendors)) {
        var vendor;
        foreach vendor (third_party_vendors) {
            if (vendor == third_party_support) exit(0, 'A third party management patch is available for this vulnerability from ' + vendor + '.\n');
        }
    }
}

var report = linux_unpatched::check_unpatched_constraints(distro_constraints_values:distro_constraints_values);

if (!empty_or_null(report))
{
  security_report_v4(
      port       : 0,
      severity   : SECURITY_WARNING,
      extra      : report
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');
}

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15 Aug 2026 00:00Current
5.9Medium risk
Vulners AI Score5.9
CVSS 3.17.8
EPSS0.00138
4