CVE-2026-72020: ipvs: reset full ip_vs_seq structs in ip_vs_conn_new
- Is it exploited?
Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of . If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 0.7%
EPSS score, percentile 53.6 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.
- How severe?
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA
- What should I do?
CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected
- 3.10
Unaffected before 3.10; 5.10.261; 5.15.212; 6.1.178; 6.6.145; 6.12.97; and 3 more
Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.28, as of ; FIRST EPSS, as of ; CVE List, as of . About the data.
What to do
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
This summary is based on the CVE record as of . Check the vendor's advisory before you act: affected versions and fixes can change.
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | from 9a05475cebdd to before 3bf9a260188b |
| Affected | from 9a05475cebdd to before 6378c5cb360e |
| Affected | from 9a05475cebdd to before 32c299e28b8e |
| Affected | from 9a05475cebdd to before 9e36602cbec5 |
| Affected | from 9a05475cebdd to before d0eed7177e82 |
| Affected | from 9a05475cebdd to before 83fb4c2c5344 |
| Affected | from 9a05475cebdd to before 6335ab62d5fc |
| Affected | from 9a05475cebdd to before 2975324d164c |
Versions not listed are: unaffected.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 3.10 |
| Unaffected | before 3.10 |
| Unaffected | 5.10.261 |
| Unaffected | 5.15.212 |
| Unaffected | 6.1.178 |
| Unaffected | 6.6.145 |
| Unaffected | 6.12.97 |
| Unaffected | 6.18.40 |
| Unaffected | 7.1.5 |
| Unaffected | 7.2 |
Versions not listed are: affected.
Versions the record lists as unaffected: 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2.
Source: CVE List, as of . About the data.
About this vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipvs: reset full ip_vs_seq structs in ip_vs_conn_new Commit 9a05475cebdd ("ipvs: avoid kmem_cache_zalloc in ip_vs_conn_new") changed ip_vs_conn_new() to allocate an ip_vs_conn object with kmem_cache_alloc(). The function then initializes many fields explicitly, but only resets in_seq.delta and out_seq.delta in the two struct i…
Summary: CVE record, as of .
- CISA has not added CVE-2026-72020 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- The CVE record was published on 15 Aug 2026.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical), given by its CNA.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.7% (percentile 53.6), as of 29 Oct 2026. EPSS is a statistical estimate, not a report of exploitation.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact total.
Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.28, as of ; CVE List, as of ; FIRST EPSS, as of . About the data.
Description
ipvs: reset full ip_vs_seq structs in ip_vs_conn_new
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipvs: reset full ip_vs_seq structs in ip_vs_conn_new Commit 9a05475cebdd ("ipvs: avoid kmem_cache_zalloc in ip_vs_conn_new") changed ip_vs_conn_new() to allocate an ip_vs_conn object with kmem_cache_alloc(). The function then initializes many fields explicitly, but only resets in_seq.delta and out_seq.delta in the two struct ip_vs_seq members. That leaves init_seq and previous_delta uninitialized. This is normally harmless while the corresponding IP_VS_CONN_F_IN_SEQ or IP_VS_CONN_F_OUT_SEQ flag is clear. For connections learned from a sync message, however, ip_vs_proc_conn() preserves those flags from IP_VS_CONN_F_BACKUP_MASK and passes opt=NULL when the message omits IPVS_OPT_SEQ_DATA. In that case the new connection can be hashed with SEQ flags set but with the rest of in_seq/out_seq still containing stale slab data. When a packet for such a connection is later handled by an IPVS application helper, vs_fix_seq() and vs_fix_ack_seq() use previous_delta and init_seq to rewrite TCP sequence numbers. A malformed sync message can therefore make forwarded packets carry stale slab bytes in their TCP seq/ack numbers, and can also corrupt the forwarded TCP flow. Reset both struct ip_vs_seq members completely before publishing the connection. This matches the existing "reset struct ip_vs_seq" comment and keeps the sequence-adjustment gates inactive unless valid sequence data is installed later.
Source: CVE List, as of . About the data.
Weakness
CWE-457
- CWE-457: Use of Uninitialized Variable
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| CVE record published | |
| CVE record last updated |
References
8
Known exploited Linux vulnerabilities
- CVE-2026-46300: Linux Kernel Missing Initialization of a Variable Vulnerability
- CVE-2025-39682: Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions Vulnerability
- CVE-2025-39964: Linux Kernel Race Condition Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-53266: Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-53362: Linux Kernel Unspecified Vulnerability