{
    "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
    "dataVersion": "5.2",
    "cveMetadata": {
        "cveId": "CVE-2026-98873",
        "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "state": "PUBLISHED",
        "assignerShortName": "Linux",
        "dateReserved": "2026-09-25T10:25:14.377Z",
        "datePublished": "2026-10-23T11:37:14.109Z",
        "dateUpdated": "2026-10-26T06:55:54.978Z"
    },
    "containers": {
        "cna": {
            "providerMetadata": {
                "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
                "shortName": "Linux",
                "dateUpdated": "2026-10-26T06:55:54.978Z"
            },
            "descriptions": [
                {
                    "lang": "en",
                    "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnetfilter: nf_conntrack_expect: zero at allocation time\n\nThere are occasional LLM hints wrt. leaking uninitialized data to\nuserspace via ctnetlink.  Just zero at allocation time,\nexpectations are not frequently used these days.\n\nIntentionally keeps _init as-is because we could theoretically\nsupport re-init, so add the missing exp->dir there."
                }
            ],
            "affected": [
                {
                    "product": "Linux",
                    "vendor": "Linux",
                    "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
                    "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                    "programFiles": [
                        "net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_expect.c",
                        "net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_netlink.c"
                    ],
                    "versions": [
                        {
                            "version": "076a0ca02644657b13e4af363f487ced2942e9cb",
                            "lessThan": "39cb6ff947c16a576ea68c5f272e634acdcb0085",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "076a0ca02644657b13e4af363f487ced2942e9cb",
                            "lessThan": "90545aa07a183887e9d72ce573c18e08f62e2c91",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "076a0ca02644657b13e4af363f487ced2942e9cb",
                            "lessThan": "9c11d7ea5ff4dbe162e79f00188814ef5483c295",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "076a0ca02644657b13e4af363f487ced2942e9cb",
                            "lessThan": "b7f3ee925aee9f1f547d539bc03c35433c238958",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "076a0ca02644657b13e4af363f487ced2942e9cb",
                            "lessThan": "824397af7bfe14edad374c64253dae0187ca623d",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "076a0ca02644657b13e4af363f487ced2942e9cb",
                            "lessThan": "a39ecb856514274c80d0fac4d128dba6b266a8ed",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "076a0ca02644657b13e4af363f487ced2942e9cb",
                            "lessThan": "241ccd2fed9051db443aadce248fc0ab30f55e97",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "product": "Linux",
                    "vendor": "Linux",
                    "defaultStatus": "affected",
                    "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                    "programFiles": [
                        "net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_expect.c",
                        "net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_netlink.c"
                    ],
                    "versions": [
                        {
                            "version": "3.4",
                            "status": "affected"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "0",
                            "lessThan": "3.4",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "5.10.271",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "5.10.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "5.15.222",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "5.15.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.1.189",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.1.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.6.158",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.6.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.12.111",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.18.53",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "7.2",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "cpeApplicability": [
                {
                    "nodes": [
                        {
                            "operator": "OR",
                            "negate": false,
                            "cpeMatch": [
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "3.4",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "5.10.271"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "3.4",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "5.15.222"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "3.4",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.1.189"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "3.4",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.6.158"
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                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "3.4",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.12.111"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "3.4",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.53"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "3.4",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "7.2"
                                }
                            ]
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "references": [
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/39cb6ff947c16a576ea68c5f272e634acdcb0085"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/90545aa07a183887e9d72ce573c18e08f62e2c91"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9c11d7ea5ff4dbe162e79f00188814ef5483c295"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b7f3ee925aee9f1f547d539bc03c35433c238958"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/824397af7bfe14edad374c64253dae0187ca623d"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a39ecb856514274c80d0fac4d128dba6b266a8ed"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/241ccd2fed9051db443aadce248fc0ab30f55e97"
                }
            ],
            "title": "netfilter: nf_conntrack_expect: zero at allocation time",
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}