# CVE-2026-74474: vxlan: use pskb_network_may_pull() for transmit path header pulls

> A missing network header offset check in the Linux kernel VXLAN transmit path can lead to memory corruption or crashes when processing fragmented packets.

- **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:** AZL-96369, BELL-CVE-2026-74474, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74474, GHSA-59jj-4qq4-v9f9, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74474

## What is CVE-2026-74474?

CVE-2026-74474 is a critical memory corruption 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:

vxlan: use pskb_network_may_pull() for transmit path header pulls

In vxlan_xmit(), arp_reduce(), and vxlan_mdb_entry_skb_get(), pskb_may_pull() was
being called to verify the availability of network layer headers (ARP, IPv6/ND,
IP/IPv6 MDB keys).

However, during transmit skb->data points to the MAC header, so skb_network_offset(skb)
is ETH_HLEN (14 bytes). Using pskb_may_pull(skb, len) only checks len bytes from skb->data
rather than skb_network_offset(skb) + len, which can leave part of the network header
in non-linear frags.

Replace these remaining pskb_may_pull() calls with pskb_network_may_pull() to properly
account for the MAC header offset.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74474?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74474?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74474 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74474 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74474 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74474 is a critical memory corruption 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-2026-74474 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-2026-74474/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74474/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74474
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74474
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74474

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74474/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.