---
id: CVE-2026-53238
title: 'netlabel: validate unlabeled address and mask attribute lengths'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  netlabel: validate unlabeled address and mask attribute lengths

  netlbl_unlabel_addrinfo_get() used the address attribute length to
  determine whether the attribute data…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd <
    975a84fd741440853380d37465b6e226cf47254c
  - >-
    Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd <
    672f0f3b8f875ffe6525a37847eafa7648c4c0c6
  - >-
    Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd <
    95bda3eac0b1454c2cee98d58d9ba6dd8391e843
  - >-
    Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd <
    07a18f5c90dd3d586b73242f5a5bbf0a72f2fdc6
  - >-
    Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd <
    71c52da13c3737493b42d20d9f33de34e03b3156
  - >-
    Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd <
    0c4bb32ad7fdc2dc6a8050f41eb04d4bda56b6c8
  - >-
    Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd <
    ccfe292a966079c61ea68a2da303b2a336170993
  - >-
    Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd <
    9772589b57e44aedc240211c5c3f7a684a034d3a
  - Linux 2.6.25
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-06T16:23:30.513801Z'
published: '2026-06-25'
updated: '2026-11-06'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-06T16:24:08.569Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53238'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/975a84fd741440853380d37465b6e226cf47254c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/672f0f3b8f875ffe6525a37847eafa7648c4c0c6'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/95bda3eac0b1454c2cee98d58d9ba6dd8391e843'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/07a18f5c90dd3d586b73242f5a5bbf0a72f2fdc6'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/71c52da13c3737493b42d20d9f33de34e03b3156'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c4bb32ad7fdc2dc6a8050f41eb04d4bda56b6c8'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ccfe292a966079c61ea68a2da303b2a336170993'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9772589b57e44aedc240211c5c3f7a684a034d3a'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00123
epssPercentile: 0.02026
ingestedAt: '2026-11-06T16:57:43.268Z'
---

## Overview

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

netlabel: validate unlabeled address and mask attribute lengths

netlbl_unlabel_addrinfo_get() used the address attribute length to
determine whether the attribute data could be read as an IPv4 or IPv6
address, but did not independently validate the corresponding mask
attribute length.  A crafted Generic Netlink request could therefore
provide a valid IPv4/IPv6 address attribute with a shorter mask
attribute, which would later be read as a full struct in_addr or
struct in6_addr.

NLA_BINARY policy lengths are maximum lengths by default, so use
NLA_POLICY_EXACT_LEN() for the unlabeled IPv4/IPv6 address and mask
attributes.  This rejects short attributes during policy validation and
also exposes the exact length requirements through policy introspection.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd < 975a84fd741440853380d37465b6e226cf47254c`
- `Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd < 672f0f3b8f875ffe6525a37847eafa7648c4c0c6`
- `Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd < 95bda3eac0b1454c2cee98d58d9ba6dd8391e843`
- `Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd < 07a18f5c90dd3d586b73242f5a5bbf0a72f2fdc6`
- `Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd < 71c52da13c3737493b42d20d9f33de34e03b3156`
- `Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd < 0c4bb32ad7fdc2dc6a8050f41eb04d4bda56b6c8`
- `Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd < ccfe292a966079c61ea68a2da303b2a336170993`
- `Linux >= 8cc44579d1bd77ba3a32f2cb76fd9669c229c5fd < 9772589b57e44aedc240211c5c3f7a684a034d3a`
- `Linux 2.6.25`

## Remediation

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