cbcvebase.
CVE-2026-43284
published 2026-05-08

CVE-2026-43284: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: esp: avoid in-place decrypt on shared skb frags MSG_SPLICE_PAGES can attach pages…

PriorityP183high8.8CVSS 3.1
AVLACLPRLUINSCCHIHAH
ITWEXPLOITVulnCheck KEV
Exploited in the wild
EPSS
94.19%
99.9th percentile
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: esp: avoid in-place decrypt on shared skb frags MSG_SPLICE_PAGES can attach pages from a pipe directly to an skb. TCP marks such skbs with SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG after skb_splice_from_iter(), so later paths that may modify packet data can first make a private copy. The IPv4/IPv6 datagram append paths did not set this flag when splicing pages into UDP skbs. That leaves an ESP-in-UDP packet made from shared pipe pages looking like an ordinary uncloned nonlinear skb. ESP input then takes the no-COW fast path for uncloned skbs without a frag_list and decrypts in place over data that is not owned privately by the skb. Mark IPv4/IPv6 datagram splice frags with SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG, matching TCP. Also make ESP input fall back to skb_cow_data() when the flag is present, so ESP does not decrypt externally backed frags in place. Private nonlinear skb frags still use the existing fast path. This intentionally does not change ESP output. In esp_output_head(), the path that appends the ESP trailer to existing skb tailroom without calling skb_cow_data() is not reachable for nonlinear skbs: skb_tailroom() returns zero when skb->data_len is nonzero, while ESP tailen is positive. Thus ESP output will either use the separate destination-frag path or fall back to skb_cow_data().

Affected

82 ranges· showing 25
VendorProductVersion rangeFixed in
linuxlinux——
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < a6cb440f274a22456ef3e86b457344f1678f38f9a6cb440f274a22456ef3e86b457344f1678f38f9
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < ab8b995323e5237041472d07e5055f5f7dcdf15bab8b995323e5237041472d07e5055f5f7dcdf15b
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < fe785bb3a8096dffcc4048a85cd0c83337eeecadfe785bb3a8096dffcc4048a85cd0c83337eeecad
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < 5d55c7336f8032d434adcc5fab987ccc93a44aec5d55c7336f8032d434adcc5fab987ccc93a44aec
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < 8253aab4659ca16116b522203c2a6b18dccacea78253aab4659ca16116b522203c2a6b18dccacea7
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < 50ed1e7873100f77abad20fd31c51029bc49cd0350ed1e7873100f77abad20fd31c51029bc49cd03
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < b54edf1e9a3fd3491bdcb82a21f8d21315271e0db54edf1e9a3fd3491bdcb82a21f8d21315271e0d
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < 71a1d9d985d26716f74d21f18ee8cac821b06e9771a1d9d985d26716f74d21f18ee8cac821b06e97
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < 52646cbd00e765a6db9c3afe9535f2621827603452646cbd00e765a6db9c3afe9535f26218276034
linuxlinux>= cac2661c53f35cbe651bef9b07026a5a05ab8ce0 < f4c50a4034e62ab75f1d5cdd191dd5f9c77fdff4f4c50a4034e62ab75f1d5cdd191dd5f9c77fdff4
linuxlinux_kernel——
linuxlinux_kernel>= 4.11 < 5.10.2555.10.255
linuxlinux_kernel>= 5.12 < 5.15.2055.15.205
linuxlinux_kernel>= 5.16 < 6.1.1716.1.171
linuxlinux_kernel>= 6.13 < 6.18.286.18.28
linuxlinux_kernel>= 6.2 < 6.6.1386.6.138
linuxlinux_kernel>= 6.7 < 6.12.876.12.87
linuxlinux_kernel>= 7.0 < 7.0.57.0.5
ubuntulinux——
ubuntulinux-aws——
ubuntulinux-aws-5.15——
ubuntulinux-aws-5.4——
ubuntulinux-aws-6.17——
ubuntulinux-aws-6.8——

Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote

urlhttps://github.com/V4bel/dirtyfrag/blob/master/assets/write-up.md↗
commandsh -c "printf 'install esp4 /bin/false\ninstall esp6 /bin/false\ninstall rxrpc /bin/false\n' > /etc/modprobe.d/dirtyfrag.conf; rmmod esp4 esp6 rxrpc 2>/dev/null; true"↗
commandlsmod | grep -E "esp4|esp6|rxrpc"↗
path/etc/modprobe.d/dirtyfrag.conf↗
path/etc/modprobe.d/dirtyfrag-mitigation.conf↗
commandmodprobe -r esp4 esp6 rxrpc↗
  • →Detect exploitation attempts by monitoring for in-place decryption of ESP packets over skb frags backed by shared/read-only page-cache pages (SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG flag absent on UDP splice paths). Alert on unexpected modification of page-cache-backed files such as /etc/passwd or /usr/bin/su in RAM without corresponding on-disk changes. ↗
  • →Alert on unexpected privilege escalation to root from unprivileged local users, particularly when accompanied by execution of Python (standard library only) or compilation tools, which are sufficient to run the public PoC exploit. ↗
  • →In containerized environments, monitor for attempts to override binaries in the base layer following local privilege escalation, as Dirty Frag may be used to escape to host via page-cache corruption. ↗
  • →Track execution of the public Metasploit module path linux/local/cve_2026_43284_dirty_frag and associated exploit authors (Giovanni Heward, Hyunwoo Kim) in threat intelligence feeds. ↗
  • →Detect the Dirty Frag exploit technique by monitoring for the xfrm-ESP fast path being taken on skbs whose frags are backed by page-cache pages not exclusively owned by the skb (i.e., skb_cow_data() bypass on shared frags). ↗
  • ·Denylisting esp4 and esp6 modules will disable IPsec ESP functionality. Environments relying on IPsec VPN tunnels or IPsec-encrypted communications will experience disruption if this mitigation is applied. ↗
  • ·Denylisting the rxrpc module will impact AFS-based environments. Assess operational impact before applying this mitigation. ↗
  • ·The exploit requires CAP_NET_ADMIN capability in addition to local access. Environments that restrict this capability reduce (but do not eliminate) exposure. ↗
  • ·Neither the xfrm-ESP Page-Cache Write nor the RxRPC Page-Cache Write alone provides a sufficiently reliable primitive for full root escalation; both sub-vulnerabilities must be chained for reliable exploitation. ↗
  • ·The on-disk file (e.g., /usr/bin/su) is unchanged by the exploit; only the in-memory page cache copy is corrupted. File integrity monitoring tools that check on-disk hashes will not detect the corruption. ↗

CVSS provenance

nvdv3.18.8HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
vulncheck8.8HIGH
vendor_ubuntu8.8HIGH
vendor_redhat7.8HIGH
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