CVE-2026-98497 net/mlx5e: fix swapped IPv6 IPsec policy masks
A bug in the Linux kernel mlx5e driver swaps IPv6 IPsec policy masks, allowing attackers to bypass IPsec security policies when prefix lengths differ.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-98497?
CVE-2026-98497 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 Oct 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:
net/mlx5e: fix swapped IPv6 IPsec policy masks
IPv6 XFRM policies may use different source and destination prefix lengths. mlx5e_ipsec_policy_mask() builds the corresponding masks independently, but setup_fte_addr6() installs each mask in the opposite address field.
When the prefix lengths differ, this makes the source match use the destination prefix and the destination match use the source prefix. The resulting hardware rule can both miss traffic covered by the policy and match traffic outside it.
Install each mask in its corresponding match field.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98497?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98497?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-98497 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98497 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-98497, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98497, GHSA-jq4w-vj6x-gwh6, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98497.