CVE-2026-52986
netfilter: nf_conntrack_sip: don't use simple_strtoul
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_conntrack_sip: don't use simple_strtoul Replace unsafe port parsing in epaddr_len(), ct_sip_parse_header_uri(), and ct_sip_parse_request() with a new sip_parse_port() helper that validates each digit against the buffer limit, eliminating the use of simple_strtoul() which assumes NUL-terminated strings. The previous code dereferenced pointers without bounds checks after sip_parse_addr() and relied on simple_strtoul() on non-NUL-terminated skb data. A port that reaches the buffer limit without a trailing character is also rejected as malformed. Also get rid of all simple_strtoul() usage in conntrack, prefer a stricter version instead. There are intentional changes: - Bail out if number is > UINT_MAX and indicate a failure, same for too long sequences. While we do accept 05535 as port 5535, we will not accept e.g. 'sip:10.0.0.1:005060'. While its syntactically valid under RFC 3261, we should restrict this to not waste cycles when presented with malformed packets with 64k '0' characters. - Force base 10 in ct_sip_parse_numerical_param(). This is used to fetch 'expire=' and 'rports='; both are expected to use base-10. - In nf_nat_sip.c, only accept the parsed value if its within the 1k-64k range. - epaddr_len now returns 0 if the port is invalid, as it already does for invalid ip addresses. This is intentional. nf_conntrack_sip performs lots of guesswork to find the right parts of the message to parse. Being stricter could break existing setups. Connection tracking helpers are designed to allow traffic to pass, not to block it. Based on an earlier patch from Jenny Guanni Qu <[email protected]>.
INFO
Published Date :
June 24, 2026, 5:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
July 14, 2026, 4:47 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | CRITICAL | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
Solution
- Apply the latest Linux kernel updates.
- Replace unsafe port parsing functions.
- Validate port numbers against buffer limits.
- Use stricter string to integer conversion.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-52986.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-52986 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-52986
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-52986 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-52986 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 14, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CWE CWE-476 Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.2 up to (excluding) 6.6.141 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.7 up to (excluding) 6.12.91 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.13 up to (excluding) 6.18.33 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.19 up to (excluding) 7.0.10 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.16 up to (excluding) 6.1.175 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.11 up to (excluding) 5.15.209 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 2.6.26 up to (excluding) 5.10.258 Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/523762e3b6933fff81f01dfa3c60c0774044cdab Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7df9863bf538a626e8a684e59cb2c43eac0ef3c8 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8cd0358379570003659186706e077929d6930c40 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8cf6809cddcbe301aedfc6b51bcd4944d45795f6 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9c6afcb1c3cbb2c0da65b8515ac14d7273872f84 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f69c323ae0ab517e595c2cc74e0ae0d9d085611 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b3264c977e79d8a25778d4fd11520f00fea1329c Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ea2ecd29b8f4433e52607192ca91084f95787ca0 Types: Patch -
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Jun. 28, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Jun. 24, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '05e3ced297fe755093140e7487e292fb7603316e', 'lessThan': '8cd0358379570003659186706e077929d6930c40', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '05e3ced297fe755093140e7487e292fb7603316e', 'lessThan': '9c6afcb1c3cbb2c0da65b8515ac14d7273872f84', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '05e3ced297fe755093140e7487e292fb7603316e', 'lessThan': 'b3264c977e79d8a25778d4fd11520f00fea1329c', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '05e3ced297fe755093140e7487e292fb7603316e', 'lessThan': 'ea2ecd29b8f4433e52607192ca91084f95787ca0', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '05e3ced297fe755093140e7487e292fb7603316e', 'lessThan': '9f69c323ae0ab517e595c2cc74e0ae0d9d085611', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '05e3ced297fe755093140e7487e292fb7603316e', 'lessThan': '7df9863bf538a626e8a684e59cb2c43eac0ef3c8', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '05e3ced297fe755093140e7487e292fb7603316e', 'lessThan': '523762e3b6933fff81f01dfa3c60c0774044cdab', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '05e3ced297fe755093140e7487e292fb7603316e', 'lessThan': '8cf6809cddcbe301aedfc6b51bcd4944d45795f6', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_sip.c', 'net/netfilter/nf_nat_sip.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '2.6.26'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '2.6.26', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.10.258', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.10.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.15.209', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.15.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.175', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.141', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.91', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.33', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.10', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_sip.c', 'net/netfilter/nf_nat_sip.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_conntrack_sip: don't use simple_strtoul Replace unsafe port parsing in epaddr_len(), ct_sip_parse_header_uri(), and ct_sip_parse_request() with a new sip_parse_port() helper that validates each digit against the buffer limit, eliminating the use of simple_strtoul() which assumes NUL-terminated strings. The previous code dereferenced pointers without bounds checks after sip_parse_addr() and relied on simple_strtoul() on non-NUL-terminated skb data. A port that reaches the buffer limit without a trailing character is also rejected as malformed. Also get rid of all simple_strtoul() usage in conntrack, prefer a stricter version instead. There are intentional changes: - Bail out if number is > UINT_MAX and indicate a failure, same for too long sequences. While we do accept 05535 as port 5535, we will not accept e.g. 'sip:10.0.0.1:005060'. While its syntactically valid under RFC 3261, we should restrict this to not waste cycles when presented with malformed packets with 64k '0' characters. - Force base 10 in ct_sip_parse_numerical_param(). This is used to fetch 'expire=' and 'rports='; both are expected to use base-10. - In nf_nat_sip.c, only accept the parsed value if its within the 1k-64k range. - epaddr_len now returns 0 if the port is invalid, as it already does for invalid ip addresses. This is intentional. nf_conntrack_sip performs lots of guesswork to find the right parts of the message to parse. Being stricter could break existing setups. Connection tracking helpers are designed to allow traffic to pass, not to block it. Based on an earlier patch from Jenny Guanni Qu <[email protected]>. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/523762e3b6933fff81f01dfa3c60c0774044cdab Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7df9863bf538a626e8a684e59cb2c43eac0ef3c8 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8cd0358379570003659186706e077929d6930c40 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8cf6809cddcbe301aedfc6b51bcd4944d45795f6 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9c6afcb1c3cbb2c0da65b8515ac14d7273872f84 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f69c323ae0ab517e595c2cc74e0ae0d9d085611 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b3264c977e79d8a25778d4fd11520f00fea1329c Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ea2ecd29b8f4433e52607192ca91084f95787ca0