Out-of-bounds Read in Linux

CVE-2026-43281

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mailbox: Prevent out-of-bounds access in fw_mbox_index_xlate() Although it is guided that `#mbox-cells` must be at least 1, there are many instances of `#mbox-cells = <0>;` in the device tree. If that is the case and the corresponding mailbox controller does not provide `fw_xlate` and of_xlate` function pointers, `fw_mbox_index_xlate()` will be used by default and out-of-bounds accesses could occur due to lack of bounds check in that function.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (5.3th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 5.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-43281: held from 0.001 to 0.002.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 6.19.6, 6.1.167, 2b6d83e2b8b7de82331a6a1dcd64b51020a6031c
  • Linux Kernel — versions 3.18

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-43281?
CVE-2026-43281 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Out-of-bounds Read. CVSS score: 7.1/10. Published 2026-05-06.
How severe is CVE-2026-43281?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.1 out of 10.