# CVE-2026-46207: vsock/virtio: fix empty payload in tap skb for non-linear buffers

> An attacker with access to the vsockmon tap device can read uninitialized kernel memory due to a missing payload copy in non-linear buffers.

- **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:** 28 May 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-46207, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46207, GHSA-c7cv-93jx-fc79, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-46207, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46207

## What is CVE-2026-46207?

CVE-2026-46207 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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:

vsock/virtio: fix empty payload in tap skb for non-linear buffers

For non-linear skbs, virtio_transport_build_skb() goes through
virtio_transport_copy_nonlinear_skb() to copy the original payload
in the new skb to be delivered to the vsockmon tap device.
This manually initializes an iov_iter but does not set iov_iter.count.
Since the iov_iter is zero-initialized, the copy length is zero and no
payload is actually copied to the monitor interface, leaving data
un-initialized.

Fix this by removing the linear vs non-linear split and using
skb_copy_datagram_iter() with iov_iter_kvec() for all cases, as
vhost-vsock already does. This handles both linear and non-linear skbs,
properly initializes the iov_iter, and removes the now unused
virtio_transport_copy_nonlinear_skb().

While touching this code, let's also check the return value of
skb_copy_datagram_iter(), even though it's unlikely to fail.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46207?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46207?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46207 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46207 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-2026-46207 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46207 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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-2026-46207 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-2026-46207/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46207/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46207
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46207
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46207

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46207/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.