CVE-2026-23386
Published: March 25, 2026· Updated: Mar 25, 2026
Official Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
gve: fix incorrect buffer cleanup in gve_tx_clean_pending_packets for QPL
In DQ-QPL mode, gve_tx_clean_pending_packets() incorrectly uses the RDA
buffer cleanup path. It iterates num_bufs times and attempts to unmap
entries in the dma array.
This leads to two issues:
1. The dma array shares storage with tx_qpl_buf_ids (union).
Interpreting buffer IDs as DMA addresses results in attempting to
unmap incorrect memory locations.
2. num_bufs in QPL mode (counting 2K chunks) can significantly exceed
the size of the dma array, causing out-of-bounds access warnings
(trace below is how we noticed this issue).
UBSAN: array-index-out-of-bounds in
drivers/net/ethernet/drivers/net/ethernet/google/gve/gve_tx_dqo.c:178:5 index 18 is out of
range for type 'dma_addr_t[18]' (aka 'unsigned long long[18]')
Workqueue: gve gve_service_task [gve]
Call Trace:
<TASK>
dump_stack_lvl+0x33/0xa0
__ubsan_handle_out_of_bounds+0xdc/0x110
gve_tx_stop_ring_dqo+0x182/0x200 [gve]
gve_close+0x1be/0x450 [gve]
gve_reset+0x99/0x120 [gve]
gve_service_task+0x61/0x100 [gve]
process_scheduled_works+0x1e9/0x380
Fix this by properly checking for QPL mode and delegating to
gve_free_tx_qpl_bufs() to reclaim the buffers.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-23386 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (5)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2026-23386 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts