CVE-2026-15422 — SCTP needs to better-check INIT ACK chunk parameters
The illumos SCTP inbound path performs association lookup for INIT ACK chunks without adequately validating the address parameters carried in the chunk. Since this lookup runs during packet classification (i.e. before SCTP integrity checks or IPsec policy are applied) a remote, unauthenticated attacker can send a crafted SCTP INIT ACK packet with malformed address parameters to cause an out-of-bounds access and kernel heap corruption, which may lead to remote code execution. The flaw has existed since 2010 (illumos-gate commit a5407c02), and affects any illumos distribution prior to illumos-gate commit 53a3efde.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (critical)+10
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Illumos Illumos-gate, OmniOS OmniOS, Tritondatacenter Smartos).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illumos | Illumos-gate | ≥ a5407c02d5ed61b29481b9b71f1307d7ebec9e5c and < 53a3efdeff8e6745bbfb69c5360f94962fb79e75 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| OmniOS | OmniOS | ≥ r151058 and < r151058j≥ r151056 and < r151056aj≥ r151054 and < r151054bj≥ any and < r151054 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Tritondatacenter | Smartos | ≥ any and < 202060709 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | CVSS 4.0 | Critical | — | — | 0ca53633-f0b5-4853-ba72-e0a2e62000d0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 9.1 | CVSS 4.0 | Critical | — | — | illumos via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:U/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:P/AU:Y/R:U/V:C/RE:H/U:Red (score shown at the top: 0ca53633-f0b5-4853-ba72-e0a2e62000d0) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · illumos/illumos-gate, omnios/omnios, triton data center/smartos
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 9.1
- Source status changed · → Deferred
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
3 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-104112 Missing release of passed file descriptors in illumos nscd allows local users to exhaust kernel memory 6d
- Medium CVE-2026-104114 NULL pointer dereference in illumos nwamd door handler allows local users to crash the daemon 6d
- Medium CVE-2026-104115 Stack buffer overflow in illumos reparsed nfs-basic plugin allows local users to crash the daemon 6d
- Low CVE-2026-104116 Missing authorization in illumos zonestatd allows local users to disrupt zonestat and enumerate running zones 6d
- Low CVE-2026-104117 Missing authorization in illumos ipmgmtd allows local users to change persistent IPMP group membership 6d
- Medium CVE-2026-104113 Double free in OmniOS and SmartOS ipmgmtd allows local users to crash the daemon 6d
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No FIRST EPSS score.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-15422 is "SCTP needs to better-check INIT ACK chunk parameters", rated Critical. It affects Illumos-gate (Illumos); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 9.1 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
Comments
Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.
No comments yet.
Sign in or create an account to comment and suggest corrections.