# CVE-2026-64314: crypto: chacha20poly1305 - validate poly1305 template argument

> A missing validation in the Linux kernel's chacha20poly1305 crypto template allows a null pointer dereference, potentially causing a system crash.

- **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:** 25 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64314, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64314, GHSA-8q9p-r3g4-95mr, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64314, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64314

## What is CVE-2026-64314?

CVE-2026-64314 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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:

crypto: chacha20poly1305 - validate poly1305 template argument

chachapoly_create() still accepts the compatibility poly1305 parameter
in the template name, but it assumes the second template argument is
always present and immediately passes it to strcmp().

When the argument is missing, crypto_attr_alg_name() returns an error
pointer. Check for that before comparing the name so malformed template
instantiations fail with an error instead of dereferencing the error
pointer in strcmp().

This matches the surrounding Crypto API template pattern where
crypto_attr_alg_name() results are validated before string-specific use.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64314?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64314?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64314 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64314 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-2026-64314 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64314 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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-2026-64314 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-2026-64314/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64314/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64314
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64314
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64314

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64314/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.