# CVE-2026-23316: net: ipv4: fix ARM64 alignment fault in multipath hash seed

> A kernel panic occurs on ARM64 systems using Clang LTO due to an alignment fault in IPv4 multipath hash seed handling, causing denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-23316, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23316, GHSA-vcmv-6vcp-286q, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-23316, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23316

## What is CVE-2026-23316?

CVE-2026-23316 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

net: ipv4: fix ARM64 alignment fault in multipath hash seed

`struct sysctl_fib_multipath_hash_seed` contains two u32 fields
(user_seed and mp_seed), making it an 8-byte structure with a 4-byte
alignment requirement.

In `fib_multipath_hash_from_keys()`, the code evaluates the entire
struct atomically via `READ_ONCE()`:

    mp_seed = READ_ONCE(net->ipv4.sysctl_fib_multipath_hash_seed).mp_seed;

While this silently works on GCC by falling back to unaligned regular
loads which the ARM64 kernel tolerates, it causes a fatal kernel panic
when compiled with Clang and LTO enabled.

Commit e35123d83ee3 ("arm64: lto: Strengthen READ_ONCE() to acquire
when CONFIG_LTO=y") strengthens `READ_ONCE()` to use Load-Acquire
instructions (`ldar` / `ldapr`) to prevent compiler reordering bugs
under Clang LTO. Since the macro evaluates the full 8-byte struct,
Clang emits a 64-bit `ldar` instruction. ARM64 architecture strictly
requires `ldar` to be naturally aligned, thus executing it on a 4-byte
aligned address triggers a strict Alignment Fault (FSC = 0x21).

Fix the read side by moving the `READ_ONCE()` directly to the `u32`
member, which emits a safe 32-bit `ldar Wn`.

Furthermore, Eric Dumazet pointed out that `WRITE_ONCE()` on the entire
struct in `proc_fib_multipath_hash_set_seed()` is also flawed. Analysis
shows that Clang splits this 8-byte write into two separate 32-bit
`str` instructions. While this avoids an alignment fault, it destroys
atomicity and exposes a tear-write vulnerability. Fix this by
explicitly splitting the write into two 32-bit `WRITE_ONCE()`
operations.

Finally, add the missing `READ_ONCE()` when reading `user_seed` in
`proc_fib_multipath_hash_seed()` to ensure proper pairing and
concurrency safety.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23316?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-23316?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-23316 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23316 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-23316 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-23316 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23316 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23316/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23316/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-23316
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23316
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-23316

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23316/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.