---
id: CVE-2026-98497
title: 'kernel: net/mlx5e: fix swapped IPv6 IPsec policy masks (CVE-2026-98497)'
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's mlx5 network driver. When configuring
  IPv6 IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) rules with differing source and
  destination prefix lengths, the driver inadvertently swaps the source and
  destination addr…
severity: medium
cvss: 5.6
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-1025
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 6
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-24'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-24T14:23:18+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98497.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98497.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98497'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2554886'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98497'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98497'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98497.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3803dc8477f08e0dac4050cafee0de43f32727be'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e73f832f0a7b2c6ea45b2124c732d639be97b547'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/10de7ed8ef4840da9ca21de4c29578657ac367db'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00459
epssPercentile: 0.39605
scores:
  vendor: 5.6
  cna: 7.5
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T15:45:12.289Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's mlx5 network driver. When configuring IPv6 IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) rules with differing source and destination prefix lengths, the driver inadvertently swaps the source and destination address masks installed into hardware flow tables. This incorrect rule configuration can allow an attacker to bypass IPsec security policies or cause traffic to be misclassified, potentially leading to unauthorized data transmission or network disruption.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 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 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-10-24 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98497.json)

**kernel: net/mlx5e: fix swapped IPv6 IPsec policy masks** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-24.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- 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 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

## Remediation

Out of support scope