---
id: CVE-2026-98548
title: >-
  kernel: sctp: discard the rest of the packet on a stale-cookie error
  (CVE-2026-98548)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Stream Control Transmission Protocol
  (SCTP) implementation. A remote attacker or an unprivileged local user could
  trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) or memory corruption by sending specially
  crafted pa…
severity: high
cvss: 7.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-825
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 7
  - enterprise_linux 8
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
  - enterprise_linux 6
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-24'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-24T14:22:56+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98548.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98548.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98548'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2554972'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98548'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98548'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98548.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c0af3fd150fdc43821df3bb77e5ec74faf4dfc7a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/854c053c71459f8db7ef07db9cfa4eec5f5206f2'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/965e21ea16acb394d5e5801998ca9b0adc669665'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1cd246b214dc9acf4e2f11d58c035e1e672fe7d2'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d68c9287b3ca0d6faadc61fbcb18d1a6b5493321'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ec23855274a73906b02f0d124fefd9cb3c008b1d'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6df536c5acbc0abd6f119d02e24f4a2ed97707f4'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4498467a8af06cfa3d71cb04bd7c4170dec8f449'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
  - score-dispute
epss: 0.00694
epssPercentile: 0.5274
scores:
  vendor: 7.5
  cna: 9.8
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T15:45:12.265Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) implementation. A remote attacker or an unprivileged local user could trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) or memory corruption by sending specially crafted packets containing bundled error and data chunks. This issue causes a use-after-free condition when a network transport structure is removed while remaining chunks in the same packet continue to reference it.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Important · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, … · updated 2026-10-24 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98548.json)

**kernel: sctp: discard the rest of the packet on a stale-cookie error** — rated Important by Red Hat. Released 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-24.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

## Remediation

Affected

Workarounds / mitigations:

- --- CME Mitigation Guidance (2026-10-20) ---
Disclaimer: The following mitigation solutions are provided as a courtesy, pending the application of an official patch. This content was generated utilizing AI tools in conjunction with data from https://cmetaxonomy.org. Customers are advised to independently evaluate and test these temporary mitigations within their own infrastructure.

The highest-value action is to discard remaining bundled chunks in incoming SCTP packets immediately upon handlin…