Bug 2432375 (CVE-2026-22988)

Summary: CVE-2026-22988 kernel: arp: do not assume dev_hard_header() does not change skb->head
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
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Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedKeywords: Security
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OS: Linux   
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A use-after-free vulnerability was found in the Linux kernel's ARP implementation. The arp_create() function initializes a pointer to the ARP header before calling dev_hard_header(), incorrectly assuming that skb->head will not change. A recent kernel change broke this assumption, causing the @arp pointer to reference stale memory after dev_hard_header() potentially reallocates the socket buffer.
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-01-23 16:01:29 UTC 
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

arp: do not assume dev_hard_header() does not change skb->head

arp_create() is the only dev_hard_header() caller
making assumption about skb->head being unchanged.

A recent commit broke this assumption.

Initialize @arp pointer after dev_hard_header() call.
Comment 1 Keith Grant 2026-01-23 19:42:08 UTC 
Upstream advisory:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2026012350-CVE-2026-22988-1ee5@gregkh/T