CVE-2026-43026: netfilter: ctnetlink: zero expect NAT fields when CTA_EXPECT_NAT absent
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
netfilter: ctnetlink: zero expect NAT fields when CTA_EXPECT_NAT absent
ctnetlink_alloc_expect() allocates expectations from a non-zeroing
slab cache via nf_ct_expect_alloc(). When CTA_EXPECT_NAT is not
present in the netlink message, saved_addr and saved_proto are
never initialized. Stale data from a previous slab occupant can
then be dumped to userspace by ctnetlink_exp_dump_expect(), which
checks these fields to decide whether to emit CTA_EXPECT_NAT.
The safe sibling nf_ct_expect_init(), used by the packet path,
explicitly zeroes these fields.
Zero saved_addr, saved_proto and dir in the else branch, guarded
by IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_NF_NAT) since these fields only exist when
NAT is enabled.
Confirmed by priming the expect slab with NAT-bearing expectations,
freeing them, creating a new expectation without CTA_EXPECT_NAT,
and observing that the ctnetlink dump emits a spurious
CTA_EXPECT_NAT containing stale data from the prior allocation.
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May 1, 2026, 14:15 UTC (UTC+00:00)
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