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High 7.3Published Aug 15, 2026

CVE-2026-72019macsec: don't read an unset MAC header in macsec_encrypt()

Updated under an hour ago ()

Does this affect you?

It affects Linux. Add what you run to find out whether that includes you.

No exploitation reported and no EPSS estimate yet.

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: macsec: don't read an unset MAC header in macsec_encrypt() macsec_encrypt() reads the Ethernet header via eth_hdr(skb) (skb->head + skb->mac_header) to memmove() the 12 source/destination MAC bytes forward and make room for the SecTAG. On the AF_PACKET SOCK_RAW + PACKET_QDISC_BYPASS transmit path the skb reaches the macsec ndo_start_xmit() with the MAC header unset, so eth_hdr(skb) resolves to skb->head + (u16)~0 and the read is out of bounds: a 12-byte heap over-read that is also emitted on the wire as the frame's outer source/destination MAC. KASAN reports a slab-out-of-bounds read in macsec_start_xmit() on 6.0; on current mainline a CONFIG_DEBUG_NET build flags it as an unset mac header in skb_mac_header(). On the TX path the L2 header is at skb->data, so use skb_eth_hdr(), added by commit 96cc4b69581d ("macvlan: do not assume mac_header is set in macvlan_broadcast()") for exactly this purpose.

CVSS
7.3 HIGH (v3.1, CNA)CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H
Weakness (CWE)
Not given
Known exploited
Not in CISA's KEV catalog
EPSS (exploitation in the next 30 days)
Not loaded for this CVE
Assigned by
Linux
NVD analysis
Received
Record last updated
Oct 16, 2026
First seen by InfoSec Signals
Oct 9, 2026

Affected products

Affected products
Linux Linux
linux:linux (from the name)
from c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 before b6cec6187b8632423cd99a94fd5e5ba165fa2a33; from c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 before 3adea1b1c04b57e08a5c12a1f42483760581ce61; from c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 before dc9ffa1905e72f026d080880a2e4cfc42aa91000; from c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 before f21fa533a3ed15ada74106aac4b9ddd078fc6b7a; from c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 before e17a42199824973cd8212e95b21ffadf4114a21b; from c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 before 2cf10d042562283ff4ae97c02d0993d4f1b5ea29; from c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 before c39087ad0b97fc11a3b058dfc8db9fd370762cb9; from c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 before f5089008f90c0a7c5520dff3934e0af00adf322d
CNA record

References

The CVE record is authoritative. Products marked “from the name” were identified from the CNA's free-text names, not a CPE, and are matched less certainly. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

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