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KEV catalog · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-53266 8.8
Linux · Kernel · Added 2026-09-18 · Published 2026-06-25
3-Day Required KEV Active Exploitation

Details

VulnerabilityLinux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability
VendorLinux
ProductKernel
Date added2026-09-18
Due date2026-09-21
Required actionApply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
CWECWE-787
CVSS vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Descriptions

KEV: Linux Kernel contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the ebtables SNAT target which allows an ARP sender hardware address rewrite to write directly into a nonlinear socket-buffer fragment backed by a splice-imported file page. The impacted product(s) could be end-of-life (EoL) and/or end-of-service (EoS). Users are advised to discontinue use and/or transition to a supported version.

NVD: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable The ebtables SNAT target keeps the Ethernet source address rewrite behind skb_ensure_writable(skb, 0). This is intentional: at the bridge ebtables hooks the Ethernet header is addressed through skb_mac_header()/eth_hdr(), while skb->data points at the Ethernet payload. Asking skb_ensure_writable() for ETH_HLEN bytes would check the payload, not the Ethernet header, and would reintroduce the small packet regression fixed by commit 63137bc5882a. However, the optional ARP sender hardware address rewrite is different. It writes through skb_store_bits() at an offset relative to skb->data: skb_store_bits(skb, sizeof(struct arphdr), info->mac, ETH_ALEN) skb_header_pointer() only safely reads the ARP header; it does not make the later sender hardware address range writable. If that range is still held in a nonlinear skb fragment backed by a splice-imported file page, skb_store_bits() maps the frag page and copies the new MAC address directly into it. Ensure the ARP SHA range is writable before reading the ARP header and before calling skb_store_bits().

Compliance SSVC + BOD 26-04

Automatableno
Technical impacttotal
Exploitation statusactive
3-day qualifyingYes
Public timeline3 days + forensic
Non-public timeline14 days
Forensic (public)Required
Forensic (non-public)Not required

Research metadata

Last researched2026-09-18 15:16 UTC
Wall time0.5s
Searches1
Component defaultno

QC notes

info precondition_contradiction: Preconditions don't mention deployment applicability (component/product version)

Hunting hypothesis agent

Hunt kernel logs for oops or KASAN reports referencing ebt_snat_tg or skb_store_bits in ebtables bridge netfilter paths; audit ebtables SNAT rules with --snat-arp via ebtables -t nat -L on bridged hosts using auditd.

Research details

Componentebt_snat target in net/bridge/netfilter/ebt_snat.c
PreconditionsAttacker needs CAP_NET_ADMIN capability; the ebtables ebt_snat kernel module must be loaded; ebtables SNAT rules with the ARP MAC rewrite option (--snat-arp) must be configured on bridged interfaces; ARP traffic must carry payloads in nonlinear skb fragments backed by splice-imported file pages; bridge netfilter (br_netfilter) must be active. Vulnerable in kernel versions from the introduction of the ebt_snat ARP rewrite feature (introduced by commit 63137bc5882a) through the fix in commit 153ea96c806a. agent
DeliveryLocal privilege escalation via ebtables SNAT ARP rewrite on bridged interfaces
Public PoCno
Exploit notesCVSS attack complexity: LOW | HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0–8.9) | No public exploit code exists; the vulnerability is a missing writability check in skb_store_bits() during ARP sender hardware address rewrite. Exploitation requires CAP_NET_ADMIN to configure ebtables SNAT rules and crafting ARP traffic with payloads in nonlinear skb fragments. Red Hat rates as Important (CVSS 3.1 7.5, AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) due to the specialized network configuration required.
SummaryCVE-2026-53266 is a Linux kernel memory corruption vulnerability in the netfilter bridge ebtables SNAT target (ebt_snat). The optional ARP sender hardware address rewrite calls skb_store_bits() without first ensuring the target range is writable; when the ARP SHA range resides in a nonlinear skb fragment backed by a splice-imported file page, the write modifies shared memory directly, potentially corrupting file-backed pages or causing kernel crashes. A local attacker with CAP_NET_ADMIN who can configure ebtables SNAT rules with ARP MAC rewrite and bridge ARP traffic may exploit this for privilege escalation or denial of service. Patches are available in kernel stable branches; Red Hat has released errata for RHEL 8 and 9.

Tia coverage

First reported2026-09-04
First exploit report2026-09-19
Exploit report → KEV1 days after the listing

When Tia's reporting first covered this CVE and whether a report claimed exploitation before the KEV listing. Lead-time deltas are measured from the exploitation report only — plain coverage is not exploitation intel. See the story links under Mentioned in for coverage detail.

Mentioned in

cisa-alerts-of-active-exploitation-of-three-linux-kernel-flaws-hgoogle-fixes-actively-exploited-android-zero-day-on-pixel-device

Record schema v1.0. Enrichment is research-grade, not a substitute for analyst review.

Source on GitHub