# CVE-2026-74710: xsk: require at least 16 bytes of TX metadata

> A local attacker can read kernel memory beyond the registered area by providing short TX metadata in AF_XDP 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:** 22 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-74710, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74710, GHSA-3mjj-g5w8-p3gp, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74710

## What is CVE-2026-74710?

CVE-2026-74710 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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:

xsk: require at least 16 bytes of TX metadata

AF_XDP accepts a TX metadata length as small as eight bytes, but every
supported request needs the flags plus at least one eight-byte request
field. Such short metadata also lets the kernel read beyond the registered
area.

Require 16 bytes rather than sizeof(struct xsk_tx_metadata) to preserve
compatibility with applications that do not use launch-time metadata.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74710?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74710?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74710 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74710 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74710 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74710 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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-2026-74710 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-2026-74710/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74710/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74710
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74710
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74710

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74710/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.