CVE 9.1 CRITICAL

sctp: validate embedded INIT chunk and address list lengths in cookie_CVE-2026-53224

9.1 / 10
CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

sctp: validate embedded INIT chunk and address list lengths in cookie

sctp_unpack_cookie() only checked that the embedded INIT chunk length
did not exceed the remaining cookie payload, but did not ensure that the
INIT chunk is large enough to contain a complete INIT header.

A malformed COOKIE_ECHO can therefore carry a truncated INIT chunk whose
length field is smaller than sizeof(struct sctp_init_chunk). Later,
sctp_process_init() accesses INIT parameters unconditionally, which may
lead to out-of-bounds reads.

In addition, raw_addr_list_len is not fully validated against the
remaining cookie payload. When cookie authentication is disabled, an
attacker can supply an oversized raw_addr_list_len and cause
sctp_raw_to_bind_addrs() to read beyond the end of the cookie. The
address parser also lacks sufficient bounds checks for parameter headers
and lengths, allowing malformed address parameters to trigger
out-of-bounds reads.

Fix this by:

- requiring the embedded INIT chunk length to be at least sizeof(struct
sctp_init_chunk);
- validating that the INIT chunk and raw address list together fit
within the cookie payload;
- verifying sufficient data exists for each address parameter header and
payload before parsing it.

Note that sctp_verify_init() must be called after sctp_unpack_cookie()
and before sctp_process_init() when cookie authentication is disabled.
This will be addressed in a separate patch.

AI Analysis

Linux kernel vulnerability in sctp_unpack_cookie() allowing out-of-bounds reads due to insufficient validation of embedded INIT chunk and address list lengths in cookie

Basic Information

ID CVE-2026-53224
Source Linux
Published Jun 25, 2026 at 08:39
Modified Jun 28, 2026 at 06:40

Affected Product

Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Version 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2
Affected Versions Linux Linux 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2
Linux Linux 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2
Linux Linux 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2
Linux Linux 2.6.12

AI Assessment

AI Score 9.1 / 10
AI Severity Critical
Vendor Linux
Product Linux kernel
Version 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, 2.6.12

References

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