# CVE-2026-64114: ipv4: raw: reject IP_HDRINCL packets with ihl < 5

> A local attacker with CAP_NET_RAW can trigger a kernel panic via an out-of-bounds memory access caused by malformed IPv4 headers in raw sockets.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 19 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64114, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64114, GHSA-mpq7-q79j-37gw, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64114

## What is CVE-2026-64114?

CVE-2026-64114 is a high-severity memory corruption 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:

ipv4: raw: reject IP_HDRINCL packets with ihl < 5

raw_send_hdrinc() validates that the caller-supplied IPv4 header
fits within the message length:

    iphlen = iph->ihl * 4;
    err = -EINVAL;
    if (iphlen > length)
        goto error_free;

    if (iphlen >= sizeof(*iph)) {
        /* fix up saddr, tot_len, id, csum, transport_header */
    }

It does not, however, reject ihl < 5.  For such a packet the
"if (iphlen >= sizeof(*iph))" branch is skipped, leaving the
crafted iphdr untouched, but the packet is still handed to
__ip_local_out() and onward.  Downstream consumers that read
iph->ihl assume a sane value: net/ipv4/ah4.c:ah_output() in
particular subtracts sizeof(struct iphdr) from top_iph->ihl * 4
and passes the (signed-int-negative, then cast to size_t)
result to memcpy(), producing an OOB access of length close to
SIZE_MAX and a host kernel panic.

An IPv4 header with ihl < 5 is malformed by definition (RFC 791:
"Internet Header Length is the length of the internet header in
32 bit words ... Note that the minimum value for a correct header
is 5.").  The kernel should not be willing to inject such a
packet into its own output path.

Reject "iphlen < sizeof(*iph)" alongside the existing
"iphlen > length" check.  This matches the principle that locally
constructed packets that re-enter the IP stack must pass the same
basic sanity tests that a foreign packet would be subjected to.

Once this lands, the "if (iphlen >= sizeof(*iph))" wrapper around
the fixup branch becomes redundant; left in place to keep the
patch minimal and backport-friendly.  A follow-up can unwrap it.

Note that commit 86f4c90a1c5c ("ipv4, ipv6: ensure raw socket
message is big enough to hold an IP header") ensures the message
buffer is large enough to hold an iphdr, but does not constrain
the self-reported iph->ihl.

Reachability: the malformed packet source is any caller with
CAP_NET_RAW, including an unprivileged process in a user+net
namespace on a kernel with CONFIG_USER_NS=y.  The reproduced AH
crash also requires a matching xfrm AH policy on the outgoing
route; a container granted CAP_NET_ADMIN can install that state
and policy in its netns.  Loopback bypasses xfrm_output, so the
trigger uses a real netdev.

Reproduced on UML + KASAN: kernel-mode fault at addr 0x0 with
memcpy_orig at the crash site.  Same shape reproduces inside a
rootless Docker container with --cap-add NET_ADMIN on a stock
distro kernel.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read), CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64114?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64114?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64114 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64114 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-2026-64114 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64114 is a high-severity memory corruption 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-2026-64114 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-2026-64114/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64114/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64114
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64114
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64114

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64114/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.