CVE-2026-98547 PUBLISHED

af_packet: fix integer overflow in prb_calc_retire_blk_tmo()

Assigner: Linux
Reserved: 25.09.2026 Published: 18.10.2026 Updated: 18.10.2026

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

af_packet: fix integer overflow in prb_calc_retire_blk_tmo()

prb_calc_retire_blk_tmo() computes in 32-bit int arithmetic:

<pre> mbits = (blk_size_in_bytes * 8) / (1024 * 1024); </pre>

If I'm reading the validation right, tp_block_size is user controlled and packet_set_ring() only rejects values that are <= 0 as int or not page aligned, so a 256MiB block goes right through (and alloc_one_pg_vec_page() even has a vzalloc fallback for it). 0x10000000 * 8 wraps to INT_MIN, and on a NIC reporting 1 Gbps (div == 1) the function ends up returning -2047.

The condition is actually (8 * size) mod 2^32 >= 2^31 && div == 1, so the trigger set is [256,512), [768,1024), [1280,1536) and [1792,2048) MiB. Other sizes wrap to non-negative values and faster links divide the unsigned value back below 2^31, which is why this doesn't blow up for everyone.

What makes it fatal is what happens next in init_prb_bdqc():

<pre> p1->interval_ktime = ms_to_ktime(prb_calc_retire_blk_tmo(...)); hrtimer_start(&p1->retire_blk_timer, p1->interval_ktime, HRTIMER_MODE_REL_SOFT); </pre>

A negative relative timeout expires immediately. The callback unconditionally returns HRTIMER_RESTART, and hrtimer_forward() turns the negative interval into hrtimer_resolution:

<pre> if (interval < hrtimer_resolution) interval = hrtimer_resolution; </pre>

So the SOFT timer re-fires at the maximum rate forever, holding sk_receive_queue.lock each pass. One CPU spins in softirq until the socket is closed. Repeat with more rings and the machine is gone.

The overflow itself is ancient - it was introduced together with TPACKET_V3 in f6fb8f100b80 ("af-packet: TPACKET_V3 flexible buffer implementation."). Its effect prior to f7460d2989fa ("net: af_packet: Use hrtimer to do the retire operation", v6.18) was not as clear-cut, though: the return value was stored into an unsigned short retire_blk_tov, so a negative result was truncated, and a 0-jiffy delay loop could be programmed as well. Neither is nearly as detrimental as the immediate maximum-rate spin the hrtimer conversion turned it into.

(Unrelated to CVE-2019-20812 - that one was the ethtool failure path returning 0, which now returns DEFAULT_PRB_RETIRE_TOV.)

Reproducer, needs CAP_NET_RAW (a --network host container has it by default) and a 1 Gbps NIC (QEMU e1000 works):

<pre> int fd = socket(AF_PACKET, SOCK_RAW, htons(ETH_P_ALL)); bind(fd, ...); int v = TPACKET_V3; setsockopt(fd, SOL_PACKET, PACKET_VERSION, &v, sizeof(v)); struct tpacket_req3 req = { .tp_block_size = 0x10000000, .tp_block_nr = 1, .tp_frame_size = 2048, .tp_frame_nr = 0x10000000 / 2048, .tp_retire_blk_tov = 0, }; setsockopt(fd, SOL_PACKET, PACKET_RX_RING, &req, sizeof(req)); </pre>

Compute in 64 bits instead. The operands are already bounded by the existing validation, so nothing else changes. If you'd prefer a different fix, just say so and I'll respin.

Product Status

Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: unaffected
  • affected from f6fb8f100b807378fda19e83e5ac6828b638603a to 02afd75649a4e001031ed82153a5c39312ec0737 (excl.)
  • affected from f6fb8f100b807378fda19e83e5ac6828b638603a to eb5b3838b9200dac04bfe33483db0ee8287456fb (excl.)
  • affected from f6fb8f100b807378fda19e83e5ac6828b638603a to 297acc571d5813db76b147c745b91031d5f9c960 (excl.)
  • affected from f6fb8f100b807378fda19e83e5ac6828b638603a to be1aacff399d519cc48d6b34354a54dd79041140 (excl.)
  • affected from f6fb8f100b807378fda19e83e5ac6828b638603a to b2bcc6a254d6f27823a56787668ae4ee8cdb6e71 (excl.)
  • affected from f6fb8f100b807378fda19e83e5ac6828b638603a to 6279211e7d2456ecd195d236c9ee5e5c6fa5a17a (excl.)
  • affected from f6fb8f100b807378fda19e83e5ac6828b638603a to 218a944b9e035d4b47d59c69af6ca13319da15fb (excl.)
  • affected from f6fb8f100b807378fda19e83e5ac6828b638603a to 56d82862a0a243ac14ba11b6d7b57ddc2d064b95 (excl.)
Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: affected
  • Version 3.2 is affected
  • unaffected from 0 to 3.2 (excl.)
  • unaffected from 5.10.271 to 5.10.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 5.15.222 to 5.15.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.1.189 to 6.1.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.6.158 to 6.6.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.12.112 to 6.12.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 6.18.55 to 6.18.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.2.9 to 7.2.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.3-rc5 to * (incl.)

References