# CVE-2026-72416: netfilter: nft_compat: ebtables emulation must reject non-bridge targets

> The Linux kernel netfilter compatibility layer fails to reject incompatible ebtables targets, potentially causing undefined behavior or logic errors.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-72416, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72416, GHSA-6mgv-g2fh-h577, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72416

## What is CVE-2026-72416?

CVE-2026-72416 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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:

netfilter: nft_compat: ebtables emulation must reject non-bridge targets

xtables targets return netfilter verdicts: NF_ACCEPT, NF_DROP, and so
on.  ebtables targets return incompatible verdicts: EBT_ACCEPT,
EBT_DROP, ...   We cannot allow fallback to NFPROTO_UNSPEC.

ebtables doesn't permit this since
11ff7288beb2 ("netfilter: ebtables: reject non-bridge targets")
but that commit missed the nft_compat layer.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72416?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72416?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72416 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72416 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72416 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72416 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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-2026-72416 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-2026-72416/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72416/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72416
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72416
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72416

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72416/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.