Vulnerability in Linux

CVE-2026-68118

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tcp: challenge ACK for non-exact RST in SYN-RECEIVED The SYN-RECEIVED request-socket path in tcp_check_req() accepts an in-window RST without requiring SEG.SEQ to exactly match RCV.NXT. A non-exact RST therefore removes the request instead of eliciting a challenge ACK. RFC 9293 section 3.10.7.4 applies the RFC 5961 reset check in SYN-RECEIVED: an exact RST resets the connection, while a non-exact in-window RST must trigger a challenge ACK and be dropped. Apply that check before the ACK-field validation, following the RFC sequence-number, RST, then ACK processing order. Factor the per-netns challenge ACK quota out of tcp_send_challenge_ack() so request sockets can share it. Use the request socket's send_ack() callback and its own out-of-window ACK timestamp to send and rate-limit the response.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.2 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.004 (33.1th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 33rd percentile — 33.1% 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-2026-68118: held from 0.004 to 0.004.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.004 · change: -0.000

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 6.18.42, 0, 3.6

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-68118?
CVE-2026-68118 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux. CVSS score: 8.2/10. Published 2026-08-10.
How severe is CVE-2026-68118?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.2 out of 10.