{"id":"CVE-2026-98022","title":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnet: cap tx_queue_len at S16_MAX to prevent oversized ring allocations\n\nSeveral subsystems allocate ring buffers sized by dev->tx_queue_len\nwith no upper bound","summary":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnet: cap tx_queue_len at S16_MAX to prevent oversized ring allocations\n\nSeveral subsystems allocate ring buffers sized by dev->tx_queue_len\nwith no upper bound. An unpr…","severity":"medium","cvss":5.5,"cvssVector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","cwe":["CWE-770"],"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","affected":["Linux >= 6a643ddb5624be7e0694d49f5765a8d41c1ab6d0 < 24d02c909a1725ab9eceb92db7d02e4e841f17ca","Linux >= 6a643ddb5624be7e0694d49f5765a8d41c1ab6d0 < 5e5591a0f33f7c11bf1d338dbb6c5072575de64c","Linux >= 6a643ddb5624be7e0694d49f5765a8d41c1ab6d0 < c8d4060610c69645733c92d94fceb4b93808ac4d","Linux >= 6a643ddb5624be7e0694d49f5765a8d41c1ab6d0 < c2362c500931e5bd1826bce34e9ce28af80e7541","Linux >= 6a643ddb5624be7e0694d49f5765a8d41c1ab6d0 < 81c0e02076989743a603806a5a4f44d2c40dc01f","Linux >= 6a643ddb5624be7e0694d49f5765a8d41c1ab6d0 < 081340cf70a789b94b4174af54a63ffd49677a4e","Linux >= 6a643ddb5624be7e0694d49f5765a8d41c1ab6d0 < a03b927bae4af5c23fd5315a237855c17cc8f422","Linux >= 6a643ddb5624be7e0694d49f5765a8d41c1ab6d0 < 66ab4c59b74db7ab53a1c9083feaaede393a96a0","Linux 4.16"],"published":"2026-09-25","updated":"2026-10-03","sourceUpdated":"2026-10-03T11:18:25.143","source":"NVD","sourceUrl":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98022","references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/081340cf70a789b94b4174af54a63ffd49677a4e","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/24d02c909a1725ab9eceb92db7d02e4e841f17ca","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5e5591a0f33f7c11bf1d338dbb6c5072575de64c","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/66ab4c59b74db7ab53a1c9083feaaede393a96a0","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/81c0e02076989743a603806a5a4f44d2c40dc01f","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a03b927bae4af5c23fd5315a237855c17cc8f422","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c2362c500931e5bd1826bce34e9ce28af80e7541","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c8d4060610c69645733c92d94fceb4b93808ac4d","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98022.json"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98022"},{"url":"https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2541076"},{"url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98022"},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98022"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98022.mbox"}],"tags":["nvd","cve.org","csaf","vex","red-hat"],"epss":0.00177,"epssPercentile":0.07165,"cvssSource":"vendor","ingestedAt":"2026-09-25T11:06:38.855Z","slug":"CVE-2026-98022","body":"## Overview\n\nIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnet: cap tx_queue_len at S16_MAX to prevent oversized ring allocations\n\nSeveral subsystems allocate ring buffers sized by dev->tx_queue_len\nwith no upper bound. An unprivileged user (via unshare -Urn) can set a\nhuge tx_queue_len and exhaust global memory with ring allocations:\n\n- pfifo_fast: pfifo_fast_init() and pfifo_fast_change_tx_queue_len()\n  allocate 3 skb_array rings of tx_queue_len entries each.\n- tun: tun_queue_resize() and the queue-attach path resize ptr_rings\n  to tx_queue_len on the NETDEV_CHANGE_TX_QUEUE_LEN notifier.\n- tap (macvtap/ipvtap): tap_queue_resize() and tap_init() resize/init\n  ptr_rings to tx_queue_len on the same notifier.\n\nnetif_change_tx_queue_len() is the single entry point for IFLA_TXQLEN,\nsysfs, and the SIOCSIFTXQLEN ioctl. Cap new_len at S16_MAX (32767)\nthere so the oversized value is rejected at set time. This takes\neffect whether the device is up or down, before dev->tx_queue_len is\nwritten, before any notifier fires, and before any ring is allocated.\nThe \"> S16_MAX\" check also subsumes the previous unsigned-long\ntruncation test, and a negative ifr_qlen from the ioctl lands far\nabove the cap after conversion, so both old failure modes are covered\nby the one comparison.\n\ntx_queue_len is ambigious: both a per-ring sizing multiplier and a\ndefault queue-length/limit knob for consumers that allocate\nnothing at set time (pfifo/bfifo/gred/plug/sfb limits, htb\ndirect_qlen, qfq max_classes, teql). 32767 is chosen as the largest\nvalue NLA_POLICY_FULL_RANGE can express for the u32 IFLA_TXQLEN\npolicy in patch 2/3 while staying a legitimate queue length on\nhigh-BDP paths; the ring-memory trade-off of a shared knob is\ndisclosed below.\n\nConditions to recreate the bug:\n- CONFIG_NET_SCHED=y, CONFIG_VETH=y, CONFIG_USER_NS=y, CONFIG_NET_NS=y.\n- Unprivileged user in a fresh user+net namespace (unshare -Urn).\n- pfifo_fast: create veth pairs, set tx_queue_len to 500000, attach\n  mq+pfifo_fast. ~28 iterations OOMs a 2GB guest.\n- tun: create 50 tun devices with IFF_MULTI_QUEUE, set tx_queue_len to\n  500000, open 8 queues each. ~1.6GB of ptr_ring allocations OOMs a\n  512MB guest.\n- tap: same as tun with IFF_TAP. ~960MB OOMs a 512MB guest.\n- On the fixed kernel the oversized tx_queue_len is rejected with\n  -ERANGE at set time (all four paths: RTM_SETLINK, RTM_NEWLINK\n  create, sysfs, ioctl - the latter two via this check, the former\n  two via this check and the 2/3 parse policy respectively).\n\n## Remediation\n\nRefer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.\n\n## Vendor advisories\n\n- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, … · updated 2026-10-17 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98022.json)","depth":"sunlit","depthScore":30,"depthScoreParts":{"impact":30.3,"likelihood":0,"exploitation":0,"ransomware":0},"changes":[{"seq":212480,"id":"CVE-2026-98022","ts":1790668187848,"field":"cvss","old":null,"new":"5.5"},{"seq":212479,"id":"CVE-2026-98022","ts":1790668187848,"field":"severity","old":"none","new":"medium"}]}