CVE-2026-23143 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2026-23143
Vulnerability Scoring

Analysis In Progress

Attack Complexity Details

Attack Complexity:
Attack Complexity Analysis In Progress
Attack Vector:
Attack Vector Under Analysis
Privileges Required: None
No authentication is required for exploitation.
Scope:
Impact is confined to the initially vulnerable component.
User Interaction: None
No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2026-23143 Details

Status: Awaiting Analysis

Last updated: 🕠 18 Feb 2026, 17:52 UTC
Originally published on: 🕓 14 Feb 2026, 16:15 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 4 days

CVSS Release:

CVE-2026-23143 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2026-23143: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtio_net: Fix misalignment bug in struct virtnet_info Use the new TRAILING_OVERLAP() helper to fix a misalignment bug along with the following warning: drivers/net/virtio_net.c:429:46: warning: structure containing a flexible array member is not at the end of another structure [-Wflex-array-member-not-at-end] This helper creates a union between a flexible-array member (FAM) and a set of members that would otherwise follow it (in this case `u8 rss_hash_key_data[VIRTIO_NET_RSS_MAX_KEY_SIZE];`). This overlays the trailing members (rss_hash_key_data) onto the FAM (hash_key_data) while keeping the FAM and the start of MEMBERS aligned. The static_assert() ensures this alignment remains. Notice that due to tail padding in flexible `struct virtio_net_rss_config_trailer`, `rss_trailer.hash_key_data` (at offset 83 in struct virtnet_info) and `rss_hash_key_data` (at offset 84 in struct virtnet_info) are misaligned by one byte. See below: struct virtio_net_rss_config_trailer { __le16 max_tx_vq; /* 0 2 */ __u8 hash_key_length; /* 2 1 */ __u8 hash_key_data[]; /* 3 0 */ /* size: 4, cachelines: 1, members: 3 */ /* padding: 1 */ /* last cacheline: 4 bytes */ }; struct virtnet_info { ... struct virtio_net_rss_config_trailer rss_trailer; /* 80 4 */ /* XXX last struct has 1 byte of padding */ u8 rss_hash_key_data[40]; /* 84 40 */ ... /* size: 832, cachelines: 13, members: 48 */ /* sum members: 801, holes: 8, sum holes: 31 */ /* paddings: 2, sum paddings: 5 */ }; After changes, those members are correctly aligned at offset 795: struct virtnet_info { ... union { struct virtio_net_rss_config_trailer rss_trailer; /* 792 4 */ struct { unsigned char __offset_to_hash_key_data[3]; /* 792 3 */ u8 rss_hash_key_data[40]; /* 795 40 */ }; /* 792 43 */ }; /* 792 44 */ ... /* size: 840, cachelines: 14, members: 47 */ /* sum members: 801, holes: 8, sum holes: 35 */ /* padding: 4 */ /* paddings: 1, sum paddings: 4 */ /* last cacheline: 8 bytes */ }; As a result, the RSS key passed to the device is shifted by 1 byte: the last byte is cut off, and instead a (possibly uninitialized) byte is added at the beginning. As a last note `struct virtio_net_rss_config_hdr *rss_hdr;` is also moved to the end, since it seems those three members should stick around together. :)

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2026-23143

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2026-23143 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2026-23143

No exploitability data is available for CVE-2026-23143.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-23143, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-23143, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

Confidentiality: None
CVE-2026-23143 does not compromise confidentiality.
Integrity: None
CVE-2026-23143 does not impact data integrity.
Availability: None
CVE-2026-23143 does not affect system availability.

CVE-2026-23143 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

Unknown

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