Bug 2516680 (CVE-2026-72057)

Summary:	CVE-2026-72057 kernel: net/sched: act_ct: preserve tc_skb_cb across defragmentation
Product:	[Other] Security Response	Reporter:	OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component:	vulnerability	Assignee:	Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status:	NEW ---	QA Contact:
Severity:	medium	Docs Contact:
Priority:	medium
Version:	unspecified	CC:	rhel-process-autobot, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone:	---	Keywords:	Security
Target Release:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version:		Doc Type:	---
Doc Text:	A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's networking subsystem, specifically within the `act_ct` module. This vulnerability occurs when the kernel processes fragmented network traffic, failing to correctly preserve essential packet metadata. An attacker could exploit this by sending specially crafted fragmented traffic, which may lead to a loss of network quality of service (QoS) information. In systems configured to panic on warnings, this flaw could result in a system crash, causing a Denial of Service (DoS).	Story Points:	---
Clone Of:		Environment:
Last Closed:		Type:	---
Regression:	---	Mount Type:	---
Documentation:	---	CRM:
Verified Versions:		Category:	---
oVirt Team:	---	RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team:	---	Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-08-15 06:25:30 UTC

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/sched: act_ct: preserve tc_skb_cb across defragmentation

tcf_ct_handle_fragments() calls nf_ct_handle_fragments() without saving
and restoring skb->cb. The defrag helper clears IPCB/IP6CB, which aliases
the tc_skb_cb/qdisc_skb_cb control buffer. Fragmented traffic through
act_ct therefore loses qdisc metadata such as pkt_segs and can trigger
WARN_ON_ONCE() in qdisc_pkt_segs() when panic_on_warn is enabled.

Save and restore the full tc_skb_cb around nf_ct_handle_fragments(),
matching the pattern used by ovs_ct_handle_fragments().

Comment 1 Keith Grant 2026-08-17 18:55:39 UTC

Upstream advisory:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2026081516-CVE-2026-72057-9a24@gregkh/T