CVE-2026-43028
Published: 01 May 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-43028 is a high-severity an unspecified weakness vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Credential Access (T1212); ranked at the 3.6th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-43028 affects the Linux kernel's netfilter x_tables component. The vulnerability arises when names lacking a null terminator (\0) character are passed to functions expecting C-strings, potentially leading to improper handling or memory issues. Published on 2026-05-01, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H).
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability with low attack complexity and no user interaction. Successful exploitation enables high-impact outcomes on confidentiality, such as unauthorized access to sensitive kernel memory, and availability, potentially causing denial of service through crashes or resource exhaustion.
Mitigation is available via patches in Linux kernel stable trees, as detailed in the referenced commits: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/673bbd36cba21d10a10f0932f479df7468e26fbb, https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73124608172890306b85f2206d8b3cac20e324f1, https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a958a4f90ddd7de0800b33ca9d7b886b7d40f74e, https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aa6cd4a8863391e0a64f62d8922cb0af732a2cf2, and https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bcac50ea0a29d430eedc5ac87b215393b567baa9. These commits reject non-null-terminated names and address the most recent "Fixes" tagged changes; affected systems should update to kernels incorporating these patches.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-26627
Vulnerability details
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: x_tables: ensure names are nul-terminated Reject names that lack a \0 character before feeding them to functions that expect c-strings. Fixes tag is the most recent commit that needs…
more
this change.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Local kernel vulnerability enables exploitation for credential access via sensitive memory disclosure and endpoint DoS via system crashes or resource exhaustion.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires timely identification, reporting, and patching of kernel flaws like the netfilter x_tables null-termination issue to prevent exploitation.
Mandates validation of information inputs such as non-null-terminated names before processing by kernel functions expecting C-strings.
Implements memory protections like ASLR and non-executable memory to mitigate unauthorized kernel memory access and crashes from improper string handling.