CVE-2026-98095

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's af_packet network subsystem. When parsing packet headers, user-supplied length values are improperly converted from an unsigned integer to a signed integer. A local user can exploit this vulnerability by submitting an excessively large packet length, causing an unexpected negative error return that triggers an internal kernel assertion and crashes the system, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).

This vulnerability is evaluated as a Low impact flaw because successful exploitation requires local access and the capability to create packet sockets, preventing unauthorized remote attack vectors. In standard Red Hat Enterprise Linux deployments, raw packet socket operations require the CAP_NET_RAW capability, restricting execution to privileged accounts or confined container namespaces. While triggering the invalid header length calculation induces a kernel panic leading to a local denial of service, it does not allow data exposure or code execution.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.