CVE-2026-72057: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: act_ct: preserve tc_skb_cb across defragmentation tcf_ct_handle

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: act_ct: preserve tc_skb_cb across defragmentation tcf_ct_handle_fragments() cal

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: act_ct: preserve tc_skb_cb across defragmentation tcf_ct_handle_fragments() calls nf_ct_handle_fragments() without saving and restoring skb->cb. The defrag helper clears IPCB/IP6CB, which aliases the tc_skb_cb/qdisc_skb_cb control buffer. Fragmented traffic through act_ct therefore loses qdisc metadata such as pkt_segs and can trigger WARN_ON_ONCE() in qdisc_pkt_segs() when panic_on_warn is enabled. Save and restore the full tc_skb_cb around nf_ct_handle_fragments(), matching the pattern used by ovs_ct_handle_fragments().

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.58%, higher than 47% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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