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Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-79980

🗓️ 27 Oct 2026 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com👁 2 Views

Predictable transaction identifiers in the DHCPv4 client allow for reply spoofing.

Related
Refs
Code
ReporterTitlePublishedViews
Family
circl
Circl
CVE-2026-79980
23 Oct 202620:06
–circl
cve
CVE
CVE-2026-79980
23 Oct 202619:56
–cve
cvelist
Cvelist
CVE-2026-79980 Predictable and reused DHCPv4 transaction identifier allows spoofed DHCP replies to reconfigure gateway and DNS
23 Oct 202619:56
–cvelist
euvd
EUVD
EUVD-2026-109143
23 Oct 202619:56
–euvd
mend
Mend
CVE-2026-79980
23 Oct 202619:56
–mend
nvd
NVD
CVE-2026-79980
23 Oct 202620:17
–nvd
osv_ubuntu
osv_ubuntu
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-79980
26 Oct 202600:00
–osv_ubuntu
ptsecurity
Positive Technologies
PT-2026-122214
23 Oct 202600:00
–ptsecurity
ubuntucve
UbuntuCve
CVE-2026-79980
23 Oct 202620:17
–ubuntucve
#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(372298);
  script_version("1.1");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2026/10/27");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2026-79980");

  script_name(english:"Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-79980");

  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.

  - The DHCPv4 client in subsys/net/lib/dhcpv4/dhcpv4.c maintained its transaction identifier
    (iface->config.dhcpv4.xid) as a counter rather than as a per-transaction random value. It was seeded once
    with sys_rand32_get() in dhcpv4_start_internal(), incremented by one in dhcpv4_send_discover() and
    dhcpv4_send_decline(), and never changed by dhcpv4_send_request()  so every RENEWING and REBINDING
    exchange reused, unchanged, the identifier that had already appeared on the wire in the broadcast
    DHCPDISCOVER at boot, and where the identifier did move it moved predictably by one. RFC 2131 4.1 requires
    a single identifier per transaction, chosen so that clients are unlikely to collide. This identifier is
    the client's only unpredictable reply-validation token. net_dhcpv4_input() accepts a BOOTP reply on op, a
    matching xid, and a matching chaddr (the interface MAC, which is public); the UDP callback is registered
    with a wildcard remote address and port, and no server-identifier or source-address check is applied. An
    attacker who learns one identifier  for example any host on the same segment that sees the broadcast
    DHCPDISCOVER, or a DHCP server or relay on a network the device previously joined  therefore retains a
    valid token for the device's whole uptime, and can predict the identifiers of later exchanges, without
    having to observe the unicast renew traffic or race the legitimate server. A forged reply that passes
    those checks has effect regardless of client state, because dhcpv4_parse_options() applies its side
    effects before the state machine gate in dhcpv4_handle_reply(): the router option calls
    net_if_ipv4_set_gw() and the DNS option calls dns_resolve_reconfigure(). A single accepted datagram can
    thus repoint the device's default gateway and resolvers at attacker-controlled addresses, redirecting its
    traffic; during RENEWING or REBINDING a forged DHCPACK re-binds the lease with attacker-chosen parameters
    and a forged DHCPNAK removes the address and restarts configuration. The fix draws a fresh
    sys_rand32_get() value at each point where a transaction begins  entering SELECTING, RENEWING and
    REBINDING, and at the INIT/INIT-REBOOT entry taken when an interface with a lease goes down  while
    REQUESTING and DECLINE keep the identifier of the exchange they belong to, as RFC 2131 requires. As a side
    effect the client also no longer discards a slow server's offer after retransmitting a discover, and the
    initial-discover backoff now draws its own randomness instead of deriving it from the identifier.
    (CVE-2026-79980)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-79980");
  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:H/Au:N/C:C/I:N/A:N");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:U/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:U/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2026-79980");

  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:"2026/10/23");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2026/10/27");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:22.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:24.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:26.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:zephyr");
  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/Ubuntu Linux-16.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-18.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-20.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-22.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-24.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-26.04");

  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 = {
  "Ubuntu Linux-16.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "16.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "zephyr"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-18.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "18.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "zephyr"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-20.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "20.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "zephyr"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-22.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "22.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "zephyr"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-24.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "24.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "zephyr"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-26.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "26.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "zephyr"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
};

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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27 Oct 2026 00:00Current
5.9Medium risk
Vulners AI Score5.9
CVSS 3.15.6
EPSS0.00173
2