Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-43503

Linux Kernel 3.9 – 5.10.257

Published
23 May 2026
Modified
23 July 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0034 26th percentile
Risk Priority 60 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-43503 is a high-severity Improper Control of a Resource Through its Lifetime (CWE-664) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Process Injection (T1055); ranked at the 26th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-39 (Process Isolation) and SC-4 (Information in Shared System Resources) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: skbuff: propagate shared-frag marker through frag-transfer helpers Two frag-transfer helpers (__pskb_copy_fclone() and skb_shift()) fail to propagate the SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG bit in skb_shinfo()->flags when moving frags from source to destination. __pskb_copy_fclone()…

more

defers the rest of the shinfo metadata to skb_copy_header() after copying frag descriptors, but that helper only carries over gso_{size,segs, type} and never touches skb_shinfo()->flags; skb_shift() moves frag descriptors directly and leaves flags untouched. As a result, the destination skb keeps a reference to the same externally-owned or page-cache-backed pages while reporting skb_has_shared_frag() as false. The mismatch is harmful in any in-place writer that uses skb_has_shared_frag() to decide whether shared pages must be detoured through skb_cow_data(). ESP input is one such writer (esp4.c, esp6.c), and a single nft 'dup to <local>' rule -- or any other nf_dup_ipv4() / xt_TEE caller -- is enough to land a pskb_copy()'d skb in esp_input() with the marker stripped, letting an unprivileged user write into the page cache of a root-owned read-only file via authencesn-ESN stray writes. Set SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG on the destination whenever frag descriptors were actually moved from the source. skb_copy() and skb_copy_expand() share skb_copy_header() too but linearize all paged data into freshly allocated head storage and emerge with nr_frags == 0, so skb_has_shared_frag() returns false on its own; they need no change. The same omission exists in skb_gro_receive() and skb_gro_receive_list(). The former moves the incoming skb's frag descriptors into the accumulator's last sub-skb via two paths (a direct frag-move loop and the head_frag + memcpy path); the latter chains the incoming skb whole onto p's frag_list. Downstream skb_segment() reads only skb_shinfo(p)->flags, and skb_segment_list() reuses each sub-skb's shinfo as the nskb -- both p and lp must carry the marker. The same omission also exists in tcp_clone_payload(), which builds an MTU probe skb by moving frag descriptors from skbs on sk_write_queue into a freshly allocated nskb. The helper falls into the same family and warrants the same fix for consistency; no TCP TX-side in-place writer is currently known to reach a user page through this gap, but a future consumer depending on the marker would regress silently. The same omission exists in skb_segment(): the per-iteration flag merge takes only head_skb's flag, and the inner switch that rebinds frag_skb to list_skb on head_skb-frags exhaustion does not fold the new frag_skb's flag into nskb. Fold frag_skb's flag at both sites so segments drawing frags from frag_list members carry the marker.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1055 Process Injection Stealth
Adversaries may inject code into processes in order to evade process-based defenses as well as possibly elevate privileges.
T1134 Access Token Manipulation Stealth
Adversaries may modify access tokens to operate under a different user or system security context to perform actions and bypass access controls.
T1134.002 Create Process with Token Stealth
Adversaries may create a new process with an existing token to escalate privileges and bypass access controls.
T1606 Forge Web Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may forge credential materials that can be used to gain access to web applications or Internet services.
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1134.001 Token Impersonation/Theft Stealth
Adversaries may duplicate then impersonate another user's existing token to escalate privileges and bypass access controls.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

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Affected Assets

linux
linux kernel
7.1 · 3.9 — 5.10.257 · 5.11 — 5.15.208 · 5.16 — 6.1.174

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 4 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SC-39 enforces separate execution domains so one process cannot corrupt or misuse another process's resources across their lifetimes.

SC-4 prevents unintended information transfer through shared resources, limiting blast radius when a product fails to release or reuse resources correctly.

SI-16 blocks unauthorized code execution in memory, stopping exploitation that commonly follows improper allocation, use-after-free, or deallocation errors.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

ID.AM-08 full match
prevents

Directly requires managing assets through creation, use, and disposal phases, preventing lifetime control failures.

PR.PS-01 mostly match
prevents

Enforces consistent configuration and handling rules that reduce improper resource lifetime management.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Integrates secure practices across the full development lifecycle, addressing resource creation-to-release control.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Covers ongoing maintenance and removal of software, indirectly limiting resource lifetime issues.

PR.PS-03 partial match
prevents

Addresses hardware maintenance and replacement phases that intersect with resource lifetime control.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Information deletion control ensures proper release and sanitization at end of life.

prevents

Secure SDLC embeds resource lifecycle controls from design through decommissioning.

prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce lifetime control issues but are not specific to them.

prevents

Secure coding practices help avoid lifetime control bugs but do not address the full scope.

degrades

Configuration management enforces lifecycle rules for resource creation, use and disposal.

none

Backups preserve resources but do not govern their full lifetime control.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Windows Server 2016 (2 rules)
  • V-224971 The Active Directory SYSVOL directory must have the proper access control permissions. prevents CWE-664
  • V-224970 Permissions on the Active Directory data files must only allow System and Administrators access. prevents CWE-664
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
  • V-205739 Windows Server 2019 permissions on the Active Directory data files must only allow System and Administrators access. prevents CWE-664

References