CVE-2026-46033 — crypto: authencesn - reject short ahash digests during instance creation
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: authencesn - reject short ahash digests during instance creation authencesn requires either a zero authsize or an authsize of at least 4 bytes because the ESN encrypt/decrypt paths always move 4 bytes of high-order sequence number data at the end of the authenticated data. While crypto_authenc_esn_setauthsize() already rejects explicit non-zero authsizes in the range 1..3, crypto_authenc_esn_create() still copied auth->digestsize into inst->alg.maxauthsize without validating it. The AEAD core then initialized the tfm's default authsize from that value. As a result, selecting an ahash with digest size 1..3, such as cbcmac(cipher_null), exposed authencesn instances whose default authsize was invalid even though setauthsize() would have rejected the same value. AF_ALG could then trigger the ESN tail handling with a too-short tag and hit an out-of-bounds access. Reject authencesn instances whose ahash digest size is in the invalid non-zero range 1..3 so that no tfm can inherit an unsupported default authsize.
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 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+1
- Technical severity (high)+6
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.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
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 (Linux Linux, Linux Linux Kernel).
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
≥ f15f05b0a5de667c821a9727c33bce9d1d9b26dd and < 77f59fb2d3aa33e90ec6cbbf45dcfb20ab82b1a9version 4.11≥ f15f05b0a5de667c821a9727c33bce9d1d9b26dd and < 5db6ef9847717329f12c5ea8aba7e9f588a980c0≥ f15f05b0a5de667c821a9727c33bce9d1d9b26dd and < 9aff81e8217e9de2929084b03b3c7f81988c112b≥ f15f05b0a5de667c821a9727c33bce9d1d9b26dd and < b42821c15445f93daea3e76ada682b2b7181c476≥ f15f05b0a5de667c821a9727c33bce9d1d9b26dd and < 67f1f0933cc3d78dde222842bcad2778ec7a0b88≥ f15f05b0a5de667c821a9727c33bce9d1d9b26dd and < b69933e97efea238ebbfcf70c2b1be1cd03f13e3≥ f15f05b0a5de667c821a9727c33bce9d1d9b26dd and < d4c6a6d08e70bb1083c7c405fc7faacbf19aebc0 and 1 more≥ f15f05b0a5de667c821a9727c33bce9d1d9b26dd and < 2f31cd1e64a079c845bca31d2da7b3c90a311726 |
Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | ≥ 4.11 and < 5.10.258version 7.1-rc1≥ 6.19 and < 7.0.4≥ 6.13 and < 6.18.27≥ 6.7 and < 6.12.86≥ 6.2 and < 6.6.140≥ 5.16 and < 6.1.175≥ 5.11 and < 5.15.209 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 1.8 | 5.2 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.1 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 1.8 | 5.2 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.1 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.17%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · linux/linux
- Record published
- Fix documented
- CVSS changed · 7.1
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
16 on the record
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9aff81e8217e9de2929084b03b3c7f81988c112b
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/77f59fb2d3aa33e90ec6cbbf45dcfb20ab82b1a9
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/67f1f0933cc3d78dde222842bcad2778ec7a0b88
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b69933e97efea238ebbfcf70c2b1be1cd03f13e3
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4c6a6d08e70bb1083c7c405fc7faacbf19aebc0
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b42821c15445f93daea3e76ada682b2b7181c476
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f31cd1e64a079c845bca31d2da7b3c90a311726
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5db6ef9847717329f12c5ea8aba7e9f588a980c0
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46033
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-46033
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html
- security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-46033.json
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-f7w2-rj2f-73q3
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 9h
- Unknown CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 9h
- Unknown CVE-2026-98424 wifi: cfg80211: undo netns switch if renaming the wiphy fails 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98425 wifi: mac80211: don't warn when an IBSS has no channel to scan 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98426 wifi: mwifiex: fix IRQ leak using wrong index in MSI-X error path 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98427 net/sched: codel: bound the dropping loop per dequeue call 1d
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 CISA SSVC assessment.
- 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-2026-46033 is "crypto: authencesn - reject short ahash digests during instance creation", rated High. It affects Linux (Linux); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.17% 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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