---
id: CVE-2026-72296
title: 'net: ife: require ETH_HLEN to be pullable in ife_decode()'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  net: ife: require ETH_HLEN to be pullable in ife_decode()

  ife decode may return after making only the outer IFE header and
  metadata pullable. The caller then passes th…
severity: critical
cvss: 9.1
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: cna
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 <
    70013f9163bef7fbd9fa62f81cf91b2a7ba66163
  - >-
    Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 <
    be272e159dfe1207b67332ad6e17adcf59b4ea4b
  - >-
    Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 <
    8c8818e52fddb247ff3214622401a4de6ff8482e
  - >-
    Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 <
    9433578bff9c100c466a6354574892e55293cb8f
  - >-
    Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 <
    1cb42ec10294a55380e52e674b3df2b962648242
  - >-
    Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 <
    5526d1997aea6c9bd865ca4d4894b52e799d735c
  - >-
    Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 <
    b69ad768cd4a2ef4e07c18492ae85438ed17c7cb
  - >-
    Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 <
    9406f6012b7343661efb516a11c62d4db2b62f75
  - Linux 4.6
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'yes'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-10-16T18:45:54.972693Z'
published: '2026-08-15'
updated: '2026-10-16'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-16T18:55:15.361Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72296'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70013f9163bef7fbd9fa62f81cf91b2a7ba66163'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/be272e159dfe1207b67332ad6e17adcf59b4ea4b'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c8818e52fddb247ff3214622401a4de6ff8482e'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9433578bff9c100c466a6354574892e55293cb8f'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1cb42ec10294a55380e52e674b3df2b962648242'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5526d1997aea6c9bd865ca4d4894b52e799d735c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b69ad768cd4a2ef4e07c18492ae85438ed17c7cb'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9406f6012b7343661efb516a11c62d4db2b62f75'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00735
epssPercentile: 0.53522
ingestedAt: '2026-10-16T19:46:24.412Z'
---

## Overview

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

net: ife: require ETH_HLEN to be pullable in ife_decode()

ife decode may return after making only the outer IFE header and
metadata pullable. The caller then passes the decapsulated packet to
eth_type_trans(), which expects the inner Ethernet header to be
accessible from the linear data area.

With a malformed IFE frame, the inner Ethernet header may still be
shorter than ETH_HLEN in the linear area, which can lead to a crash in
the original code.

Fix this by extending the pull check in ife_decode() so that the inner
Ethernet header is also guaranteed to be pullable before returning.

## Affected

- `Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 < 70013f9163bef7fbd9fa62f81cf91b2a7ba66163`
- `Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 < be272e159dfe1207b67332ad6e17adcf59b4ea4b`
- `Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 < 8c8818e52fddb247ff3214622401a4de6ff8482e`
- `Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 < 9433578bff9c100c466a6354574892e55293cb8f`
- `Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 < 1cb42ec10294a55380e52e674b3df2b962648242`
- `Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 < 5526d1997aea6c9bd865ca4d4894b52e799d735c`
- `Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 < b69ad768cd4a2ef4e07c18492ae85438ed17c7cb`
- `Linux >= ef6980b6becb1afd9d82a4f043749a10ae81bf14 < 9406f6012b7343661efb516a11c62d4db2b62f75`
- `Linux 4.6`

## Remediation

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