# CVE-2026-43233: netfilter: nf_conntrack_h323: fix OOB read in decode_choice()

> A remote attacker can trigger a heap buffer overflow read in the Linux kernel's H.323 conntrack helper, potentially causing a crash or leaking memory.

- **Severity:** High 8.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 6 May 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-43233, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43233, GHSA-qx8f-4v7p-9m35, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-43233, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-43233, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-43233, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-43233

## What is CVE-2026-43233?

CVE-2026-43233 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 6 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

netfilter: nf_conntrack_h323: fix OOB read in decode_choice()

In decode_choice(), the boundary check before get_len() uses the
variable `len`, which is still 0 from its initialization at the top of
the function:

    unsigned int type, ext, len = 0;
    ...
    if (ext || (son->attr & OPEN)) {
        BYTE_ALIGN(bs);
        if (nf_h323_error_boundary(bs, len, 0))  /* len is 0 here */
            return H323_ERROR_BOUND;
        len = get_len(bs);                        /* OOB read */

When the bitstream is exactly consumed (bs->cur == bs->end), the check
nf_h323_error_boundary(bs, 0, 0) evaluates to (bs->cur + 0 > bs->end),
which is false.  The subsequent get_len() call then dereferences
*bs->cur++, reading 1 byte past the end of the buffer.  If that byte
has bit 7 set, get_len() reads a second byte as well.

This can be triggered remotely by sending a crafted Q.931 SETUP message
with a User-User Information Element containing exactly 2 bytes of
PER-encoded data ({0x08, 0x00}) to port 1720 through a firewall with
the nf_conntrack_h323 helper active.  The decoder fully consumes the
PER buffer before reaching this code path, resulting in a 1-2 byte
heap-buffer-overflow read confirmed by AddressSanitizer.

Fix this by checking for 2 bytes (the maximum that get_len() may read)
instead of the uninitialized `len`.  This matches the pattern used at
every other get_len() call site in the same file, where the caller
checks for 2 bytes of available data before calling get_len().

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43233?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-43233?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-43233 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43233 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-2026-43233 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-43233 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 6 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43233 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-2026-43233/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43233/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43233
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43233
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-43233

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43233/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.