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Linux Kernel CVE-2026-89550

| EUVDEUVD-2026-76461 CRITICAL
2026-09-11 Linux GHSA-72qv-m5jw-m97f
9.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Linux
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Severity by source

Vendor (Linux) PRIMARY
9.8 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI
6.3 MEDIUM

Attacker needs an authenticated krb5 GSS context (PR:L) on a krb5p NFS server, typically adjacent networks (AV:A); impact is mainly a kernel panic (A:H) with only a minor out-of-bounds header read (C:L).

3.1 AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).

CVSS VectorVendor: Linux

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

5
Analysis Generated
Sep 13, 2026 - 08:41 vuln.today
CVSS changed
Sep 13, 2026 - 07:22 NVD
9.8 (CRITICAL)
Patch available
Sep 11, 2026 - 21:18 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 11, 2026 - 19:44 cve.org
CRITICAL 9.8
CVE Published
Sep 11, 2026 - 19:44 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

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

SUNRPC: svcauth_gss: enforce krb5 token minimum length

svcauth_gss_unwrap_priv() validates only an upper bound on the wire-supplied opaque length before handing the buffer to gss_unwrap():

if (len > xdr_stream_remaining(xdr)) goto unwrap_failed; offset = xdr_stream_pos(xdr); ... maj_stat = gss_unwrap(ctx, offset, offset + len, buf);

The wire value len flows unchanged as the upper bound into the krb5 unwrap path, so a len in [0, 16] passes this check and is handed to gss_unwrap(). For a krb5 v2 context that lands in gss_krb5_unwrap_v2(), which reads the 16-byte RFC 4121 token header fields at ptr+4 and ptr+6 and then calls rotate_left() before any integrity check. With a sub-header length the header reads run past the token, and _rotate_left()'s shift %= buf->len path can divide by zero when buf->len has been driven to zero by the truncated token. A header-only token (len == 16) is equally invalid: with a non-zero RRC field and the opaque blob ending at the XDR buffer boundary, rotate_left() builds a zero-length subbuffer, reaching the same division.

Reject the token at the server entry point before it reaches the krb5 unwrap core. A valid sealed RFC 4121 token must contain the 16-byte header plus at least some encrypted payload.

Fix by adding a minimum-length check immediately after the existing upper-bound check:

if (len <= GSS_KRB5_TOK_HDR_LEN) goto unwrap_failed;

AnalysisAI

Denial of service (and minor out-of-bounds read) in the Linux kernel's server-side SUNRPC GSS/krb5 code allows a client holding a valid Kerberos GSS context to crash an NFS server exporting with sec=krb5p. svcauth_gss_unwrap_priv() validated only an upper bound on the wire-supplied opaque token length, so a truncated sealed token (len 0-16) reached gss_krb5_unwrap_v2(), which read RFC 4121 header fields past the buffer and hit a divide-by-zero in _rotate_left() (shift %= buf->len with buf->len driven to zero). …

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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata

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Vulnerability AssessmentAI

Exploitation Requires the target to be a Linux NFS/RPC server configured with Kerberos privacy mode (sec=krb5p) - the flaw is in svcauth_gss_unwrap_priv, the server privacy-unwrap path - and requires the attacker to hold a valid krb5 GSS security context with the server (an authenticated RPC client). … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment.
Risk Assessment The published CVSS 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/C:H/I:H/A:H) substantially overstates real-world risk. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in.
Exploit Scenario Full exploit scenario with step-by-step reproduction available after sign-in.
Remediation Vendor-released patch: update to a fixed kernel - 6.12.109, 6.18.50, 7.2.4, or 7.3-rc1 (or your distribution's backport of the listed commits). … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report.

Recommended ActionAI

Within 24 hours, identify all NFS servers configured with sec=krb5p Kerberos authentication and assess their role in critical workflows. …

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CVE-2026-89550 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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