# CVE-2026-72319: ipvs: ensure inner headers in ICMP errors are in headroom

> A missing header check in Linux kernel IPVS ICMP error handling can cause a null pointer dereference, leading to a denial of service.

- **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:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-72319, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72319, GHSA-67vj-f5vq-78c5, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72319

## What is CVE-2026-72319?

CVE-2026-72319 is a critical vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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:

ipvs: ensure inner headers in ICMP errors are in headroom

Sashiko points out that after stripping the outer headers
with pskb_pull() we should ensure the inner IP headers
in ICMP errors from tunnels are present in the skb headroom
for functions like ipv4_update_pmtu(), icmp_send() and
IP_VS_DBG().

Also, add more checks for the length of the inner headers.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72319?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72319?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72319 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72319 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72319 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72319 is a critical vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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-2026-72319 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-72319/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72319/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72319
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72319
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72319

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72319/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.