Out-of-bounds Read in Linux

CVE-2026-52999

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nfnetlink_osf: fix out-of-bounds read on option matching In nf_osf_match(), the nf_osf_hdr_ctx structure is initialized once and passed by reference to nf_osf_match_one() for each fingerprint checked. During TCP option parsing, nf_osf_match_one() advances the shared ctx->optp pointer. If a fingerprint perfectly matches, the function returns early without restoring ctx->optp to its initial state. If the user has configured NF_OSF_LOGLEVEL_ALL, the loop continues to the next fingerprint. However, because ctx->optp was not restored, the next call to nf_osf_match_one() starts parsing from the end of the options buffer. This causes subsequent matches to read garbage data and fail immediately, making it impossible to log more than one match or logging incorrect matches. Instead of using a shared ctx->optp pointer, pass the context as a constant pointer and use a local pointer (optp) for TCP option traversal. This makes nf_osf_match_one() strictly stateless from the caller's perspective, ensuring every fingerprint check starts at the correct option offset.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.1 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.008 (55.8th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 56th percentile — 55.8% 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-2026-52999: held from 0.005 to 0.008.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.008 · change: +0.003

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 1a6a0951fc009f6d9fe8ebea2d2417d80d54097b, 0c1054e0e5fdef2369fb089e94def978bd209e1f, 8316b60582facd4068fb0916c4db2418c21b7174
  • Linux Kernel — versions 5.0

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-52999?
CVE-2026-52999 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Out-of-bounds Read. CVSS score: 9.1/10. Published 2026-06-24.
How severe is CVE-2026-52999?
Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.1 out of 10.