Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2026-98797

None

CVSS

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EPSS

0.2%

Published

Oct 18, 2026

CISA due date

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Cloudanix analysis

Next patch cycle SSVC: Track

A bug in the Linux kernel's network traffic handling can let a local user crash the system when certain advanced queue and redirect rules are active.

Exploitation
Local Privilege
Attacker needs
Low Privilege
Complexity
Moderate
Impact
Denial Of Service
Component
OS kernel
Class
Buffer Overflow
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

Out-of-bounds access in taprio_enqueue() when skb->queue_mapping from a forwarded packet (ingress rx_queue+1) indexes beyond the allocated q->qdiscs[] array after skbedit + mirred nesting bypasses queue capping.

Why it matters to the business

Kernel memory corruption or crash on systems using the taprio qdisc under specific traffic control configurations; limited to environments with complex egress mirroring and skbedit rules, increasing operational risk on network-heavy workloads.

How an attack unfolds

A local attacker with CAP_NET_ADMIN in a network namespace creates dummy devices with differing TX queue counts, installs taprio and clsact qdiscs plus matchall filters with skbedit and mirred actions, then sends a packet that triggers nested xmit; the stale queue_mapping from the inner device causes the outer taprio_enqueue to read past its child array.

How to fix it

Apply the upstream kernel fix that caps skb->queue_mapping in netdev_tx_queue_mapping(), properly saves/restores the skip_txqueue flag around sch_handle_egress(), and arms the flag only from within the egress classifier; rebuild and reboot with the patched kernel.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the presence of netdev_cap_txqueue() store and the skb->nf_skip_egress handling changes in net/core/dev.c and net/sched/sch_generic.c; test recreation conditions with KASAN to verify absence of slab-out-of-bounds faults.

Typical attack path

  1. Create multiple dummy net devices with different TX queue counts inside a network namespace
  2. Attach taprio on the smaller-queue device and clsact on all devices
  3. Install egress matchall filters that use skbedit queue_mapping followed by mirred redirect/mirror
  4. Transmit a packet that traverses the nested mirred path
  5. Consume the skip_txqueue flag on the outer xmit to index taprio qdiscs[] out of bounds

How to detect it

Search kernel logs and KASAN reports for slab-out-of-bounds faults in taprio_enqueue triggered after skbedit or mirred actions; inspect netfilter egress paths and skb queue_mapping values on forwarded packets.

  • slab-out-of-bounds in taprio_enqueue
  • skb->queue_mapping exceeding device tx queue count
  • taprio qdiscs[] index past allocation

What your security team should do

  • Prioritize kernel updates on systems with CONFIG_NET_SCH_TAPRIO=y and CONFIG_NET_ACT_SKBEDIT=y enabled
  • Audit tc egress configurations that combine skbedit queue_mapping with mirred actions
  • Monitor for slab-out-of-bounds reports involving taprio_enqueue in kernel logs
  • Restrict CAP_NET_ADMIN in untrusted network namespaces until patched

The record

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: cap skb->queue_mapping when the tx queue is picked skbedit can set skb->queue_mapping and raise the per-CPU skip_txqueue flag so __dev_queue_xmit() honours the mapping. __dev_queue_xmit() cleared the flag before sch_handle_egress() and only read it afterwards, so the flag was not confined to the xmit that set it: a nested xmit (mirred redirect or mirror, or a drop after skbedit) could set the flag and the outer xmit would consume it for an skb that never went through skbedit. A forwarded packet still carries the ingress NIC's rx_queue + 1 in skb->queue_mapping, so the outer device then indexes its tx queue state with that stale value. Taprio's child array q->qdiscs[] is sized to the device's queue count, so taprio_enqueue() indexes past its allocation and dereferences the result as a struct Qdisc *. We (ab)use the skb->nf_skip_egress which means "skip netfilter egress for this packet" to tag to "am I in tc egress?". Despite the overload I dont see it as a conflict since the marker is set only around the single sch_handle_egress() call and ingress path is guarded by tc_at_ingress. I will send a followup(net-next) patch once this hits net-next to rename the skb->nf_skip_egress bit/flag to skb->skip_egress Arm the flag only from the egress classifier that can use it: raise skip_txqueue from tcf_skbedit_act() only when it runs inside sch_handle_egress(), thanks to skb->nf_skip_egress. An egress qdisc classifier runs in q->enqueue(), after the tx queue has been picked, so a mapping it sets cannot affect the current packet; arming the flag there only pollutes it for a later xmit. Then own the flag for the xmit frame the egress hook runs in: save the incoming value and clear it just before sch_handle_egress(), and restore it after the hook - on the consumed (drop) path, or, in the same call that reads it, on the surviving path. The save and the restores stay inside the egress_needed_key static branch, so a packet pays for them only when egress hooks are active (2f1e85b1aee4). Store the value netdev_cap_txqueue() selected back into skb->queue_mapping in netdev_tx_queue_mapping(), as netdev_core_pick_tx() already does, so the skip_txqueue path never hands a later reader on the xmit path a mapping the device cannot serve. A store made still later in the same frame, by a tc BPF program attached to a transmit qdisc, is outside this path and is not re-capped; a separate followup will resolve that path. netdev_xmit_skip_txqueue() returns the previous flag value so the save-and-clear is one call, and a no-op stub is provided when CONFIG_NET_EGRESS is disabled. skb->nf_skip_egress is compiled under CONFIG_NET_EGRESS rather than CONFIG_NETFILTER_SKIP_EGRESS, so skb_at_tc_egress() is valid whenever the egress path is built. A local user in a network namespace can redirect a packet from a device with more TX queues to one with fewer after setting a mapping valid only on the larger device. That reaches these reads and, under KASAN, faults with "slab-out-of-bounds in taprio_enqueue". Conditions to recreate the bug: the report's own trigger is a local user with CAP_NET_ADMIN in a network namespace, so no eBPF program is needed. With CONFIG_NET_SCH_TAPRIO=y, CONFIG_NET_ACT_SKBEDIT=y, CONFIG_NET_ACT_MIRRED=y, CONFIG_NET_CLS_MATCHALL=y, CONFIG_NET_SCH_PRIO=y and KASAN enabled, create qa (3 queues), qb (2 queues) and qc (1 queue) as dummy devices; put a taprio root on qb (num_tc 1, queues 2@0) and clsact on all three; then add an egress matchall filter on every device. On qa: "action skbedit queue_mapping 2 pipe action mirred egress redirect dev qb". On qb: "action mirred egress mirror dev qc". On qc: "action skbedit queue_mapping 0 pipe". Send one packet out qa. qc's skbedit sets the flag while qb's outer xmit is in flight; without the fix qb consumes it and reads its two-entry taprio child array with the forwarded packet's stale mapping. A qc whose skb ---truncated---

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed