CVE-2026-68120 — rtase: Workaround for TX hang caused by hardware packet parsing
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rtase: Workaround for TX hang caused by hardware packet parsing The hardware performs packet parsing before packet transmission. Parsing incomplete IPv4, IPv6, TCP, or UDP headers may trigger a TX hang because the hardware parser expects additional protocol header data that is not present in the packet. The hardware performs additional PTP parsing on UDP packets identified by destination ports 319/320 at the expected UDP destination port offset. If such a packet has transport data smaller than RTASE_MIN_PAD_LEN, the hardware parser expects additional packet data and may trigger a TX hang. To avoid these hardware issues, the driver applies the following workarounds. Drop malformed packets that may trigger this hardware issue before transmission. For IPv4 non-initial fragments, the hardware does not check the fragment offset before parsing the expected transport header location. As a result, these packets are still subject to transport header parsing even though they do not contain a transport header. If the transport data is shorter than the minimum transport header required by the hardware parser, pad the transport data to the minimum transport header length required by the hardware parser. Packets that also match the hardware PTP parsing conditions continue to follow the corresponding workaround. For IPv6 fragmented packets, neither of the above hardware issues occurs because the hardware only continues packet parsing when the IPv6 Base Header Next Header field directly indicates UDP. Packets carrying a Fragment Header do not continue through the subsequent packet parsing stages. For packets identified for hardware PTP parsing, pad the transport data so it reaches RTASE_MIN_PAD_LEN before transmission.
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 (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.
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 (Linux Linux).
- 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, errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | ≥ d6e882b89fdf80be0ab4f914ec10f75215e49495 and < fe3a7320711eec6537e4890892f7ab9776d8618f≥ d6e882b89fdf80be0ab4f914ec10f75215e49495 and < 4a4f3aa6af205bee539b5670afa2cd4e4953750e≥ d6e882b89fdf80be0ab4f914ec10f75215e49495 and < 0f54f5048615e4e2802697855ea6374613548301≥ d6e882b89fdf80be0ab4f914ec10f75215e49495 and < 1c50efa1faf3a1a96e100b07ec7a2f3164d90beeversion 6.12 | 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 | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | Linux 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: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67) 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).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · linux/linux
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Received
- 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
4 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 14h
- Unknown CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 14h
- 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 FIRST EPSS score.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No CISA SSVC assessment.
- No CWE classification.
- 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-2026-68120 is "rtase: Workaround for TX hang caused by hardware packet parsing", 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 7.5 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.