CVE-2026-3038 — Local DoS and possible privilege escalation via routing sockets
The rtsock_msg_buffer() function serializes routing information into a buffer. As a part of this, it copies sockaddr structures into a sockaddr_storage structure on the stack. It assumes that the source sockaddr length field had already been validated, but this is not necessarily the case, and it's possible for a malicious userspace program to craft a request which triggers a 127-byte overflow. In practice, this overflow immediately overwrites the canary for the rtsock_msg_buffer() stack frame, resulting in a panic once the function returns. The bug allows an unprivileged user to crash the kernel by triggering a stack buffer overflow in rtsock_msg_buffer(). In particular, the overflow will corrupt a stack canary value that is verified when the function returns; this mitigates the impact of the stack overflow by triggering a kernel panic. Other kernel bugs may exist which allow userspace to find the canary value and thus defeat the mitigation, at which point local privilege escalation may be possible.
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
- EPSS 0.5% (30-day exploitation probability)+6
- Technical severity (high)+6
- 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 (Freebsd Freebsd).
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freebsd | Freebsd |
version 14.3-p4version 15.0-p3version 15.0-p2version 15.0-p1version 15.0version 14.4-rc1version 14.3-p8version 14.3-p7 and 16 moreversion 14.3-p6version 14.3-p5version 13.5version 14.3-p3version 14.3-p2version 14.3-p1version 14.3version 13.5-p9version 13.5-p8version 13.5-p7version 13.5-p6version 13.5-p5version 13.5-p4version 13.5-p3version 13.5-p2version 13.5-p1 |
Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Freebsd | Freebsd | version 14.4-RC1≥ 13.5-RELEASE and < p10≥ 14.3-RELEASE and < p9≥ 15.0-RELEASE and < p4 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.45%
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 · freebsd/freebsd
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
1 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-101311 Multiple vulnerabilities in bhyve device models 12h
- High CVE-2026-101310 Multiple vulnerabilities in bhyve device models 12h
- High CVE-2026-101309 Multiple vulnerabilities in bhyve device models 12h
- Unknown CVE-2026-58099 Memory safety bugs in kqueue copy-on-fork implementation 13h
- Unknown CVE-2026-58098 Heap out-of-bounds access in semop(2) 13h
- Unknown CVE-2026-58100 Memory safety bugs in kqueue copy-on-fork implementation 13h
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 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-2026-3038 is "Local DoS and possible privilege escalation via routing sockets", rated High. It affects Freebsd (Freebsd); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.45% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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