# CVE-2026-53002: netfilter: conntrack: remove sprintf usage

> A stack buffer overflow in the Linux kernel's netfilter conntrack module allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted SIP messages.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-53002, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53002, GHSA-2256-5c36-mwcj, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-53002, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-53002, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-53002, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-53002, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53002

## What is CVE-2026-53002?

CVE-2026-53002 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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: conntrack: remove sprintf usage

Replace it with scnprintf, the buffer sizes are expected to be large enough
to hold the result, no need for snprintf+overflow check.

Increase buffer size in mangle_content_len() while at it.

BUG: KASAN: stack-out-of-bounds in vsnprintf+0xea5/0x1270
Write of size 1 at addr [..]
 vsnprintf+0xea5/0x1270
 sprintf+0xb1/0xe0
 mangle_content_len+0x1ac/0x280
 nf_nat_sdp_session+0x1cc/0x240
 process_sdp+0x8f8/0xb80
 process_invite_request+0x108/0x2b0
 process_sip_msg+0x5da/0xf50
 sip_help_tcp+0x45e/0x780
 nf_confirm+0x34d/0x990
 [..]

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53002?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Linux kernel, Redhat Enterprise Linux.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53002?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53002 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53002 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-2026-53002 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53002 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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-2026-53002 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-2026-53002/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53002/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53002
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53002
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53002

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53002/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.