Critical · published October 15, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum
If a packet with bad checksum metadata gets into the ipv4 stack,
skb_checksum_help can corrupt the network header and cause a bunch of
mischief.
This was discovered and reported by Paulos, and has been reporoduced
by others independently since.
We really shouldn't allow such packets in, but as a defence
in depth measure, let's also check before we complete the checksum.
A more complete validation at input is forthcoming, but needs more work.