UBUNTU-CVE-2026-45842
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: slip: reject VJ receive packets on instances with no rstate array slhc_init() accepts rslots == 0 as a valid configuration, with the documented meaning of 'no receive compression'. In that case the allocation loop in slhc_init() is skipped, so comp->rstate stays NULL and comp->rslot_limit stays 0 (from the kzalloc of struct slcompress). The receive helpers do not defend against that configuration. slhc_uncompress() dereferences comp->rstate[x] when the VJ header carries an explicit connection ID, and slhc_remember() later assigns cs = &comp->rstate[...] after only comparing the packet's slot number to comp->rslot_limit. Because rslot_limit is 0, slot 0 passes the range check, and the code dereferences a NULL rstate. The configuration is reachable in-tree through PPP. PPPIOCSMAXCID stores its argument in a signed int, and (val >> 16) uses arithmetic shift. Passing 0xffff0000 therefore sign-extends to -1, so val2 + 1 is 0 and ppp_generic.c ends up calling slhc_init(0, 1). Because /dev/ppp open is gated by ns_capable(CAP_NET_ADMIN), the whole path is reachable from an unprivileged user namespace. Once the malformed VJ state is installed, any inbound VJ-compressed or VJ-uncompressed frame that selects slot 0 crashes the kernel in softirq context: Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] RIP: 0010:slhc_uncompress (drivers/net/slip/slhc.c:519) Call Trace: <TASK> ppp_receive_nonmp_frame (drivers/net/ppp/ppp_generic.c:2466) ppp_input (drivers/net/ppp/ppp_generic.c:2359) ppp_async_process (drivers/net/ppp/ppp_async.c:492) tasklet_action_common (kernel/softirq.c:926) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:623) run_ksoftirqd (kernel/softirq.c:1055) smpboot_thread_fn (kernel/smpboot.c:160) kthread (kernel/kthread.c:436) ret_from_fork (arch/x86/kernel/process.c:164) </TASK> Reject the receive side on such instances instead of touching rstate. slhc_uncompress() falls through to its existing 'bad' label, which bumps sls_i_error and enters the toss state. slhc_remember() mirrors that with an explicit sls_i_error increment followed by slhc_toss(); the sls_i_runt counter is not used here because a missing rstate is an internal configuration state, not a runt packet. The transmit path is unaffected: the only in-tree caller that picks rslots from userspace (ppp_generic.c) still supplies tslots >= 1, and slip.c always calls slhc_init(16, 16), so comp->tstate remains valid and slhc_compress() continues to work.
02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE
Affected packages
21 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
50 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
4 explicit affected versions
53 explicit affected versions
116 explicit affected versions
87 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
19 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
97 explicit affected versions
59 explicit affected versions
24 explicit affected versions
2 explicit affected versions
82 explicit affected versions
83 explicit affected versions
91 explicit affected versions
84 explicit affected versions
76 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
37 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
89 explicit affected versions
191 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
84 explicit affected versions
40 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
85 explicit affected versions
44 explicit affected versions
35 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
49 explicit affected versions
4 explicit affected versions
47 explicit affected versions
18 explicit affected versions
40 explicit affected versions
118 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
62 explicit affected versions
45 explicit affected versions
120 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
121 explicit affected versions
23 explicit affected versions
52 explicit affected versions
124 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
20 explicit affected versions
76 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
48 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
111 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
17 explicit affected versions
104 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
105 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
41 explicit affected versions
9 explicit affected versions
9 explicit affected versions
120 explicit affected versions
43 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
17 explicit affected versions
27 explicit affected versions
34 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
37 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
95 explicit affected versions
39 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
65 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
41 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
144 explicit affected versions
34 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
29 explicit affected versions
111 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
40 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
100 explicit affected versions
89 explicit affected versions
52 explicit affected versions
33 explicit affected versions
23 explicit affected versions
58 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
20 explicit affected versions
188 explicit affected versions
19 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
17 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
138 explicit affected versions
2 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
74 explicit affected versions
132 explicit affected versions
90 explicit affected versions
165 explicit affected versions
154 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
39 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
66 explicit affected versions
35 explicit affected versions
48 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
46 explicit affected versions
139 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
88 explicit affected versions
50 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
116 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
132 explicit affected versions
93 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
2 explicit affected versions
15 explicit affected versions
51 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
92 explicit affected versions
18 explicit affected versions
43 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
70 explicit affected versions
77 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
27 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
98 explicit affected versions
43 explicit affected versions
63 explicit affected versions
121 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
54 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
5 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
46 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
110 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
72 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
140 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
108 explicit affected versions
94 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
12 explicit affected versions
9 explicit affected versions
36 explicit affected versions
80 explicit affected versions
56 explicit affected versions
44 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
3 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
26 explicit affected versions
45 explicit affected versions
37 explicit affected versions
50 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
38 explicit affected versions
167 explicit affected versions
9 explicit affected versions
17 explicit affected versions
39 explicit affected versions
18 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
90 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
97 explicit affected versions
121 explicit affected versions
4 explicit affected versions
79 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
88 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
7 explicit affected versions
13 explicit affected versions
43 explicit affected versions
77 explicit affected versions
16 explicit affected versions
119 explicit affected versions
10 explicit affected versions
8 explicit affected versions
45 explicit affected versions
88 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
4 explicit affected versions
78 explicit affected versions
14 explicit affected versions
11 explicit affected versions
1 explicit affected versions
69 explicit affected versions
123 explicit affected versions
19 explicit affected versions
6 explicit affected versions
39 explicit affected versions
77 explicit affected versions
03 / CONNECTIONS
Connected vulnerabilities
04 / EVIDENCE
Source records
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: slip: reject VJ receive packets on instances with no rstate array slhc_init() accepts rslots == 0 as a valid configuration, with the documented meaning of 'no receive compression'. In that case the allocation loop in slhc_init() is skipped, so comp->rstate stays NULL and comp->rslot_limit stays 0 (from the kzalloc of struct slcompress). The receive helpers do not defend against that configuration. slhc_uncompress() dereferences comp->rstate[x] when the VJ header carries an explicit connection ID, and slhc_remember() later assigns cs = &comp->rstate[...] after only comparing the packet's slot number to comp->rslot_limit. Because rslot_limit is 0, slot 0 passes the range check, and the code dereferences a NULL rstate. The configuration is reachable in-tree through PPP. PPPIOCSMAXCID stores its argument in a signed int, and (val >> 16) uses arithmetic shift. Passing 0xffff0000 therefore sign-extends to -1, so val2 + 1 is 0 and ppp_generic.c ends up calling slhc_init(0, 1). Because /dev/ppp open is gated by ns_capable(CAP_NET_ADMIN), the whole path is reachable from an unprivileged user namespace. Once the malformed VJ state is installed, any inbound VJ-compressed or VJ-uncompressed frame that selects slot 0 crashes the kernel in softirq context: Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] RIP: 0010:slhc_uncompress (drivers/net/slip/slhc.c:519) Call Trace: <TASK> ppp_receive_nonmp_frame (drivers/net/ppp/ppp_generic.c:2466) ppp_input (drivers/net/ppp/ppp_generic.c:2359) ppp_async_process (drivers/net/ppp/ppp_async.c:492) tasklet_action_common (kernel/softirq.c:926) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:623) run_ksoftirqd (kernel/softirq.c:1055) smpboot_thread_fn (kernel/smpboot.c:160) kthread (kernel/kthread.c:436) ret_from_fork (arch/x86/kernel/process.c:164) </TASK> Reject the receive side on such instances instead of touching rstate. slhc_uncompress() falls through to its existing 'bad' label, which bumps sls_i_error and enters the toss state. slhc_remember() mirrors that with an explicit sls_i_error increment followed by slhc_toss(); the sls_i_runt counter is not used here because a missing rstate is an internal configuration state, not a runt packet. The transmit path is unaffected: the only in-tree caller that picks rslots from userspace (ppp_generic.c) still supplies tslots >= 1, and slip.c always calls slhc_init(16, 16), so comp->tstate remains valid and slhc_compress() continues to work.
05 / REFERENCES
Further evidence
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/e76607442d5b73e1ba6768f501ef815bb58c2c0e
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-45842
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8566-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8567-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8568-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8569-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8574-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8574-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8574-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8575-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8575-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8575-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8576-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8576-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8593-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8595-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8595-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8595-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8596-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8597-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8603-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8606-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8607-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8608-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8609-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8610-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8618-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8619-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8620-1
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8620-2
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8620-3
- https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8620-4
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45842