CVE-2026-45843

HIGHCVSS 8.2/10EPSS 0.28%

Last modified

CVE-2026-45843 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 8.2/10 on the CVSS scale. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: slip: bound decode() reads against the compressed packet length slhc_uncompress() parses a VJ-compressed TCP header by advancing a pointer through the packet via decode() and pull16(). Neither helper bounds-checks against isize, and decode() masks its return with & 0xffff so it can never return the -1 that callers test for -- those error paths are dead code. A short compressed frame whose change byte requests optional fields lets decode() read past the end of the packet. EPSS estimates a 0.28% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: slip: bound decode() reads against the compressed packet length slhc_uncompress() parses a VJ-compressed TCP header by advancing a pointer through the packet via decode() and pull16(). Neither helper bounds-checks against isize, and decode() masks its return with & 0xffff so it can never return the -1 that callers test for -- those error paths are dead code. A short compressed frame whose change byte requests optional fields lets decode() read past the end of the packet. The over-read bytes are folded into the cached cstate and reflected into subsequent reconstructed packets. Make decode() and pull16() take the packet end pointer and return -1 when exhausted. Add a bounds check before the TCP-checksum read. The existing == -1 tests now do what they were always meant to.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
8.2/10

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

EPSS Probability
0.28%

19.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 2.6.12.1, < 5.10.258
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.11, < 5.15.209
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.16, < 6.1.175
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.2, < 6.6.141
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.7, < 6.12.91
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.13, < 6.18.33
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.19, < 7.0.10
LinuxLinux Kernel2.6.12

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-45843?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: slip: bound decode() reads against the compressed packet length slhc_uncompress() parses a VJ-compressed TCP header by advancing a pointer through the packet via decode() and pull16(). Neither helper bounds-checks against isize, and decode() masks its return with & 0xffff so it can never return the -1 that callers test for -- those error paths are dead code. A short compressed frame whose change byte requests optional fields lets decode() read past the end of the packet. The over-read bytes are folded into the cached cstate and reflected into subsequent reconstructed packets. Make decode() and pull16() take the packet end pointer and return -1 when exhausted. Add a bounds check before the TCP-checksum read. The existing == -1 tests now do what they were always meant to.
How severe is CVE-2026-45843?
CVE-2026-45843 has a CVSS score of 8.2/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.28% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-45843?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2026-45843?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST