CVE-2026-43088
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: af_key: zero aligned sockaddr tail in PF_KEY exports
PF_KEY export paths use pfkey_sockaddr_size() when reserving sockaddr payload space, so IPv6 addresses occupy 32 bytes on the wire. However, pfkey_sockaddr_fill() initializes only the first 28 bytes of struct sockaddr_in6, leaving the final 4 aligned bytes uninitialized.
Not every PF_KEY message is affected. The state and policy dump builders already zero the whole message buffer before filling the sockaddr payloads. Keep the fix to the export paths that still append aligned sockaddr payloads with plain skb_put():
SADB_ACQUIRESADB_X_NAT_T_NEW_MAPPINGSADB_X_MIGRATE
Fix those paths by clearing only the aligned sockaddr tail after pfkey_sockaddr_fill().
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
Affected products
14cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*+ 12 more
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*range: >=2.6.12.1,<6.12.88
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.12:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.0:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:*
Patches
Vulnerability mechanics
References
4News mentions
1- Patch Tuesday - May 2026Rapid7 Blog · May 13, 2026