Categories
CVE-2026-45966 medium CVSS 5.5

Vulnerability in Linux kernel (CVE-2026-45966)

Summary

Vulnerability in Linux kernel (CVE-2026-45966). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.

Original description

The description as published by the source.

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

apparmor: fix NULL pointer dereference in __unix_needs_revalidation

When receiving file descriptors via SCM_RIGHTS, both the socket pointer
and the socket's sk pointer can be NULL during socket setup or teardown,
causing NULL pointer dereferences in __unix_needs_revalidation().

This is a regression in AppArmor 5.0.0 (kernel 6.17+) where the new
__unix_needs_revalidation() function was added without proper NULL checks.

The crash manifests as:
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0x0000000000000018
RIP: aa_file_perm+0xb7/0x3b0 (or +0xbe/0x3b0, +0xc0/0x3e0)
Call Trace:
apparmor_file_receive+0x42/0x80
security_file_receive+0x2e/0x50
receive_fd+0x1d/0xf0
scm_detach_fds+0xad/0x1c0

The function dereferences sock->sk->sk_family without checking if either
sock or sock->sk is NULL first.

Add NULL checks for both sock and sock->sk before accessing sk_family.

Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory

Auto-generated summary

Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.

A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-45966 has been found in Linux kernel.
Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. CVSS score: 5.5/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "Linux kernel CVE-2026-45966" on the vendor's site.

CVE-2026-45966 (Linux kernel) — CWE-476 / CVSS v3 5.5
Attack vector: local / no user interaction
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.

❓ What is the problem

A vulnerability (CWE-476) exists in Linux kernel.

📍 Affected scope

Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of Linux kernel.

🔥 Severity

Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.5/10). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.

🔧 How to fix

Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.

🛡️ Workaround

Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.

🔍 Detection

Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Audit SBOM/dependencies to find affected services.

Response actions

Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order

  1. 1
    Identify exposure identify
    Audit SBOM/dependencies for affected components.

    資産台帳・SBOM・依存マニフェストで Linux kernel を使っているサービスとバージョンを洗い出す。

  2. 2
    Post-deployment verification verify
    Confirm patched version is live in production

    パッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。

Affected packages

Linux Kernel
[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"6.17.0"},{"fixed":"6.18.14"}]},{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"6.19.0"},{"fixed":"6.19.4"}]}]

Fix status by distribution

Fixed packages published by each distribution for this CVE

References

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