CVE-2026-98549

Source
https://cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98549
Import Source
https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-98549.json
JSON Data
https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/CVE-2026-98549
Downstream
Published
2026-10-18T15:18:17Z
Modified
2026-10-19T02:46:34Z
Summary
tcp: prevent collapsing skbs across boundary in rtx queue
Details

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

tcp: prevent collapsing skbs across boundary in rtx queue

tcp_write_collapse_fence() sets TCP_SKB_CB(skb)->eor = 1 on tcp_write_queue_tail(sk) to prevent skbs queued after a switch to device encryption from being collapsed into earlier skbs.

The fence is a no-op if all earlier data has already been transmitted when the switch happens: sk->sk_write_queue is empty. The not yet acknowledged earlier skbs wait in sk->tcp_rtx_queue with eor 0.

On a subsequent retransmit or SACK shift, tcp_retrans_try_collapse() or tcp_shift_skb_data() can then merge an skb queued after the switch into one queued before it.

Both users of the fence are affected:

  • psp: devices only encrypt skbs with skb->decrypted set. The merged skb keeps decrypted = 0 from the earlier skb, so merged data sent after psp_sock_assoc_set_tx() is retransmitted in cleartext.

  • tls device offload: the merged skb straddles the start marker set in tls_set_device_offload(). The software fallback (fill_sg_in() returns -EINVAL) and the mlx5, nfp and funeth drivers cannot handle such an skb and drop it. Every retransmit rebuilds the same skb, so the connection stalls.

Fix this in two places, for defense in depth:

  1. Fall back to tcp_rtx_queue_tail(sk) in tcp_write_collapse_fence() when tcp_write_queue_tail(sk) is NULL.

  2. Check !skb_cmp_decrypted(to, from) in tcp_skb_can_collapse(), as tcp_skb_can_collapse_rx() does on receive. skb_shift(), which both collapse paths call, already has a DEBUG_NET_WARN_ON_ONCE() for this condition.

Database specific
{
    "cna_assigner":  "Linux",
    "osv_generated_from":  "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98549.json"
}
References

Affected packages

Git / git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git

Affected ranges

Type
GIT
Repo
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git
Events
Introduced
e8f69799810c32dd40c6724d829eccc70baad07f
Fixed
1ae7aee395245874d797890380d9192bd858fb7e
Fixed
7ba87509c54cd519e7ed362e0c85e8431f066a18
Fixed
08e835f5ec6e261c79d8c39f8618b3af29e3b0da
Fixed
fc6d80eb504458d6416b75a94188b268c95c6533

Database specific

source
"https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-98549.json"

Linux / Kernel

Package

Name
Kernel

Affected ranges

Type
ECOSYSTEM
Events
Introduced
4.18.0
Fixed
6.12.112
Type
ECOSYSTEM
Events
Introduced
6.13.0
Fixed
6.18.55
Type
ECOSYSTEM
Events
Introduced
6.19.0
Fixed
7.2.9

Database specific

source
"https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-98549.json"