---
id: CVE-2026-98929
title: 'macsec: initialize SecY before registering the netdevice'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  macsec: initialize SecY before registering the netdevice

  Creating a MACsec device with MAC offload over an LRO-capable lower
  device triggers a warning in rtmsg_ifinfo_…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 <
    2b42adf3b8ee9a0e1d2629aca3c5a02a1c438066
  - >-
    Linux >= c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 <
    b07bea42bf590edb0fd507ab25622a74af09548b
  - >-
    Linux >= c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 <
    c2de369c5c5b8599ca10fd5ca8d11fcd845c1331
  - Linux 4.6
published: '2026-10-23'
updated: '2026-10-23'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-23T12:08:11.551Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98929'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b42adf3b8ee9a0e1d2629aca3c5a02a1c438066'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b07bea42bf590edb0fd507ab25622a74af09548b'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c2de369c5c5b8599ca10fd5ca8d11fcd845c1331'
tags:
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-10-23T13:24:55.565Z'
---

## Overview

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

macsec: initialize SecY before registering the netdevice

Creating a MACsec device with MAC offload over an LRO-capable lower
device triggers a warning in rtmsg_ifinfo_build_skb() when IPv4
forwarding is enabled by default.

register_netdevice() invokes inetdev_init(), which disables LRO and emits
a NETDEV_FEAT_CHANGE notification. This reaches macsec_fill_info() before
macsec_add_dev() initializes the SecY. key_len is still zero, so
macsec_fill_info() returns -EMSGSIZE and trips the WARN_ON in
rtmsg_ifinfo_build_skb(), even though the skb has enough space.

Even without the warning, notifications during registration can report
uninitialized SecY attributes, including the SCI. This ordering has existed
since the driver was introduced.

Initialize the SecY and apply the new-link attributes before registration.
Move MAC address inheritance into macsec_newlink() so the SCI can also be
initialized before registration-time notifications report it. Move the
per-CPU statistics and metadata destination allocation into ndo_init(),
and release partial allocations on failure.

## Affected

- `Linux >= c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 < 2b42adf3b8ee9a0e1d2629aca3c5a02a1c438066`
- `Linux >= c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 < b07bea42bf590edb0fd507ab25622a74af09548b`
- `Linux >= c09440f7dcb304002dfced8c0fea289eb25f2da0 < c2de369c5c5b8599ca10fd5ca8d11fcd845c1331`
- `Linux 4.6`

## Remediation

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