linux: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtio_net: Fix misalignment bug in struct virtn...
CVE-2026-23143 is fixed in linux on 1 platform, first by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23143, released February 14, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.
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. :)
Where it's fixed
| Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | |||
| linux · Debian 13.5 (trixie) | 6.12.115-2 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23143 | Feb 14, 2026 |
| linux · Debian 14 | 6.18.8-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23143 | Feb 14, 2026 |
Patch Radar data is free to use with attribution. Terms and how to credit it.
Product names, logos and trademarks shown on Patch Radar belong to their respective owners. They are used only to identify the software each security fix applies to and to help readers find their platform. Their use does not imply any affiliation with, or endorsement by, those owners, and Patchblox is not affiliated with any of them.