In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv4: reject undersized MTUs in ip_do_fragment() ip_do_fragment() subtracts the IPv4 header length from the effective MTU and passes the resulting payload MTU to ip_frag_next(). If the effective MTU is smaller than hlen + 8, ip_frag_next() rounds the fragment payload length down to zero. The fragmentation state then never makes forward progress: state->left, state->ptr and state->offset stay unchanged while ip_do_fragment() keeps allocating and transmitting header-only fragments until the softlockup detector fires. This is reproducible with a route installed using "mtu lock 20", but it is also reproducible without route MTU lock, for example by forwarding a packet to a device whose MTU is 20. Fix it in ip_do_fragment() by rejecting mtu < hlen + 8 with -EMSGSIZE, matching the existing IPv6 fragmentation check.
History

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-674

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv4: reject undersized MTUs in ip_do_fragment() ip_do_fragment() subtracts the IPv4 header length from the effective MTU and passes the resulting payload MTU to ip_frag_next(). If the effective MTU is smaller than hlen + 8, ip_frag_next() rounds the fragment payload length down to zero. The fragmentation state then never makes forward progress: state->left, state->ptr and state->offset stay unchanged while ip_do_fragment() keeps allocating and transmitting header-only fragments until the softlockup detector fires. This is reproducible with a route installed using "mtu lock 20", but it is also reproducible without route MTU lock, for example by forwarding a packet to a device whose MTU is 20. Fix it in ip_do_fragment() by rejecting mtu < hlen + 8 with -EMSGSIZE, matching the existing IPv6 fragmentation check.
Title ipv4: reject undersized MTUs in ip_do_fragment()
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References

cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published: 2026-09-04T15:13:05.814Z

Updated: 2026-09-04T15:13:05.814Z

Reserved: 2026-08-26T14:34:25.793Z

Link: CVE-2026-80793

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-09-04T16:18:05.613

Modified: 2026-09-04T16:18:05.613

Link: CVE-2026-80793

cve-icon Redhat

No data.