# CVE-2026-43025: netfilter: ctnetlink: ignore explicit helper on new expectations

> A local attacker can trigger a slab-out-of-bounds read in the Linux kernel netfilter subsystem, potentially leaking kernel memory or causing a crash.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/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:** 1 May 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-43025, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43025, GHSA-9qfg-56vg-wf9g, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-43025, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-43025, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-43025, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-43025

## What is CVE-2026-43025?

CVE-2026-43025 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 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:

netfilter: ctnetlink: ignore explicit helper on new expectations

Use the existing master conntrack helper, anything else is not really
supported and it just makes validation more complicated, so just ignore
what helper userspace suggests for this expectation.

This was uncovered when validating CTA_EXPECT_CLASS via different helper
provided by userspace than the existing master conntrack helper:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in nf_ct_expect_related_report+0x2479/0x27c0
  Read of size 4 at addr ffff8880043fe408 by task poc/102
  Call Trace:
   nf_ct_expect_related_report+0x2479/0x27c0
   ctnetlink_create_expect+0x22b/0x3b0
   ctnetlink_new_expect+0x4bd/0x5c0
   nfnetlink_rcv_msg+0x67a/0x950
   netlink_rcv_skb+0x120/0x350

Allowing to read kernel memory bytes off the expectation boundary.

CTA_EXPECT_HELP_NAME is still used to offer the helper name to userspace
via netlink dump.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43025?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-43025?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-43025 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43025 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-2026-43025 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-43025 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 May 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-2026-43025 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-2026-43025/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43025/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43025
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43025
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-43025

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43025/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.