# CVE-2026-63860: RDMA/core: Prefer NLA_NUL_STRING

> Missing null terminator checks in RDMA netlink attributes can cause kernel crashes when strings are processed as C-strings.

- **Severity:** High 8.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 19 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-63860, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-63860, GHSA-cqch-vjq7-8xrc, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-63860

## What is CVE-2026-63860?

CVE-2026-63860 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Jul 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:

RDMA/core: Prefer NLA_NUL_STRING

These attributes are evaluated as c-string (passed to strcmp), but
NLA_STRING doesn't check for the presence of a \0 terminator.

Either this needs to switch to nla_strcmp() and needs to adjust printf fmt
specifier to not use plain %s, or this needs to use NLA_NUL_STRING.

As the code has been this way for long time, it seems to me that userspace
does include the terminating nul, even tough its not enforced so far, and
thus NLA_NUL_STRING use is the simpler solution.

Weakness: CWE-170 (Improper Null Termination)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-63860?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-63860?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-63860 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-63860 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-2026-63860 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-63860 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 Jul 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-2026-63860 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-2026-63860/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-63860/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-63860
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-63860
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-63860

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-63860/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.