---
id: CVE-2026-63870
title: 'ieee802154: 6lowpan: only accept IPv6 packets in lowpan_xmit()'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  ieee802154: 6lowpan: only accept IPv6 packets in lowpan_xmit()

  The aoe driver (or similar) generates a non-IPv6 packet
  (e.g., ETH_P_AOE) and queues it for transmission…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cvssSource: cna
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a <
    af07fffbd53ddc3ec3c2a4ca914f27899fa89bca
  - >-
    Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a <
    3150e6d3223dfc356308125cabf9c34169842d2a
  - >-
    Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a <
    8da95cb6ad7d656c871e776a9c7b77e894d6d89c
  - >-
    Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a <
    1a827b95e62b4cbe851ae7cc9c961cdfa769cca4
  - >-
    Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a <
    c1819c8defa235c7beda859bc185b1c429a55ecd
  - >-
    Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a <
    285b0842f2e01c3edf805f1fd64da11d9b7f6b4c
  - >-
    Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a <
    87172cc8dc49aaf54407a31edffb0232f8cb93ab
  - >-
    Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a <
    3a5f3f7aff18bcc36a57839cf50cf0cc8de707f3
  - Linux 4.0
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-16T15:32:39.861353Z'
published: '2026-07-19'
updated: '2026-10-16'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-16T15:42:09.174Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-63870'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af07fffbd53ddc3ec3c2a4ca914f27899fa89bca'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3150e6d3223dfc356308125cabf9c34169842d2a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8da95cb6ad7d656c871e776a9c7b77e894d6d89c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1a827b95e62b4cbe851ae7cc9c961cdfa769cca4'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c1819c8defa235c7beda859bc185b1c429a55ecd'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/285b0842f2e01c3edf805f1fd64da11d9b7f6b4c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/87172cc8dc49aaf54407a31edffb0232f8cb93ab'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a5f3f7aff18bcc36a57839cf50cf0cc8de707f3'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00127
epssPercentile: 0.02142
ingestedAt: '2026-10-16T17:24:46.771Z'
---

## Overview

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

ieee802154: 6lowpan: only accept IPv6 packets in lowpan_xmit()

The aoe driver (or similar) generates a non-IPv6 packet
(e.g., ETH_P_AOE) and queues it for transmission via dev_queue_xmit()
on a 6LoWPAN interface (configured by the user or test case).

Since the packet is not IPv6, the 6LoWPAN header_ops->create function
(lowpan_header_create or header_create) returns early without initializing
the lowpan_addr_info structure in the skb headroom.

In the transmit function (lowpan_xmit), the driver calls lowpan_header
(or setup_header) which unconditionally copies and uses the lowpan_addr_info
from the headroom, which contains uninitialized data.

Fix this by dropping non IPv6 packets.

A similar fix is needed in net/bluetooth/6lowpan.c bt_xmit().

## Affected

- `Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a < af07fffbd53ddc3ec3c2a4ca914f27899fa89bca`
- `Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a < 3150e6d3223dfc356308125cabf9c34169842d2a`
- `Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a < 8da95cb6ad7d656c871e776a9c7b77e894d6d89c`
- `Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a < 1a827b95e62b4cbe851ae7cc9c961cdfa769cca4`
- `Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a < c1819c8defa235c7beda859bc185b1c429a55ecd`
- `Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a < 285b0842f2e01c3edf805f1fd64da11d9b7f6b4c`
- `Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a < 87172cc8dc49aaf54407a31edffb0232f8cb93ab`
- `Linux >= 4dc315e267fe4a3c863fec21f26aa0a418c3f07a < 3a5f3f7aff18bcc36a57839cf50cf0cc8de707f3`
- `Linux 4.0`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.