CVE-2026-23398

Linux - Denial of Service via NULL Pointer Dereference in icmp_tag_validation

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 2 public exploits for CVE-2026-23398. PoCs published by zpol, JohannesLks.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This repository contains a functional proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2026-23398, a Linux kernel NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in `icmp_tag_validation()` triggered by a crafted ICMP 'Fragmentation Needed' packet when `net.ipv4.ip_no_pmtu_disc=3`. The PoC includes scripts to set up a vulnerable environment, send the malicious packet, and verify the resulting kernel panic.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: icmp: fix NULL pointer dereference in icmp_tag_validation() icmp_tag_validation() unconditionally dereferences the result of rcu_dereference(inet_protos[proto]) without checking for NULL. The inet_protos[] array is sparse -- only about 15 of 256 protocol numbers have registered handlers. When ip_no_pmtu_disc is set to 3 (hardened PMTU mode) and the kernel receives an ICMP Fragmentation Needed error with a quoted inner IP header containing an unregistered protocol number, the NULL dereference causes a kernel panic in softirq context. Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000002: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000010-0x0000000000000017] RIP: 0010:icmp_unreach (net/ipv4/icmp.c:1085 net/ipv4/icmp.c:1143) Call Trace: <IRQ> icmp_rcv (net/ipv4/icmp.c:1527) ip_protocol_deliver_rcu (net/ipv4/ip_input.c:207) ip_local_deliver_finish (net/ipv4/ip_input.c:242) ip_local_deliver (net/ipv4/ip_input.c:262) ip_rcv (net/ipv4/ip_input.c:573) __netif_receive_skb_one_core (net/core/dev.c:6164) process_backlog (net/core/dev.c:6628) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:561) </IRQ> Add a NULL check before accessing icmp_strict_tag_validation. If the protocol has no registered handler, return false since it cannot perform strict tag validation.

Exploits (2)

nomisec WORKING POC
by zpol · poc
https://github.com/zpol/cve-2026-23398-poc

This repository contains a functional proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2026-23398, a Linux kernel NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in `icmp_tag_validation()` triggered by a crafted ICMP 'Fragmentation Needed' packet when `net.ipv4.ip_no_pmtu_disc=3`. The PoC includes scripts to set up a vulnerable environment, send the malicious packet, and verify the resulting kernel panic.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Dos
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux kernel (versions without the fix for CVE-2026-23398, e.g., 6.12.0)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: QEMU for virtualization · Docker for running the ICMP sender · A vulnerable Linux kernel (e.g., 6.12.0) · Sysctl setting `net.ipv4.ip_no_pmtu_disc=3` on the target
devstral-2 · analyzed Apr 09, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by JohannesLks · poc
https://github.com/JohannesLks/CVE-2026-23398

This repository contains a functional Python PoC for CVE-2026-23398, a Linux kernel NULL pointer dereference in `icmp_tag_validation()` triggered by a crafted ICMP Fragmentation Needed packet with an unregistered inner protocol number, leading to a remote DoS.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Dos
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Linux kernel before commits 614aefe56af8 (mainline) / d938dd5a0ad7 (stable 6.12)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Layer 3 adjacency to target · Target must have `net.ipv4.ip_no_pmtu_disc = 3` set · Attacker requires root privileges and Scapy
devstral-2 · analyzed Apr 08, 2026 Full analysis →

Scores

EPSS 0.0003
EPSS Percentile 9.6%

Details

Status published
Products (24)
linux/Kernel 3.14.0 - 6.1.167linux
linux/Kernel 6.13.0 - 6.18.20linux
linux/Kernel 6.19.0 - 6.19.10linux
linux/Kernel 6.2.0 - 6.6.130linux
linux/Kernel 6.7.0 - 6.12.78linux
Linux/Linux < 3.14
Linux/Linux 3.14
Linux/Linux 5.10.253 - 5.10.*
Linux/Linux 5.15.203 - 5.15.*
Linux/Linux 6.1.167 - 6.1.*
... and 14 more
Published Mar 26, 2026
Tracked Since Mar 26, 2026