This was already discovered and reported, but when someone released an exploit, the original discoverer also released the details instead of waiting for it to be fixed first. This could be related to that new AI tool which can supposedly find and chain exploits together, but it hasn’t been publicly released. But this does show with opensource that these types of exploits can be fixed pretty quickly verses closed source operating systems. And this research could have just been a follow on to the Copy Fail exploit. Also, this requires someone to have access to the Linux computer in order to escalate privileges, so unless you allow bad actors or bad software access, you aren’t really at risk.
https://9to5linux.com/dirty-frag-linux-kernel-flaw-allows-local-privilege-escalation-patch-now
The flaw is patched in Linux kernels 7.0.5, 6.18.28, 6.12.87, 6.6.138, 6.1.171, 5.15.205, and 5.10.255 releaases.
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After Copy Fail, a new Linux kernel vulnerability was uncovered and disclosed today, called “Dirty Frag”, which is quite similar to Copy Fail as it allows a local user to escalate their privileges to gain root access.
Dirty Frag is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Linux kernel modules that support ESP (Encapsulating Security Protocol), one of the protocols used in IPsec (Internet Protocol Security). This vulnerability is actually split into two CVEs, CVE-2026-43284 and CVE-2026-43500 (NVD entry pending).
The first vulnerability impacts the modules that provide support for ESP (Encapsulating Security Protocol), which is used for IPsec (Internet Protocol Security), while the second vulnerability impacts the modules that provide support for RxRPC, a protocol used for the AFS (Andrew File System) distributed file system.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: esp: avoid in-place decrypt on shared skb frags MSG_SPLICE_PAGES can attach pages from a pipe directly to an skb. TCP marks such skbs with SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG after skb_splice_from_iter(), so later paths that may modify packet data can first make a private copy. The IPv4/IPv6 datagram append paths did not set this flag when splicing pages into UDP skbs. That leaves an ESP-in-UDP packet made from shared pipe pages looking like an ordinary uncloned nonlinear skb. ESP input then takes the no-COW fast path for uncloned skbs without a frag_list and decrypts in place over data that is not owned privately by the skb. Mark IPv4/IPv6 datagram splice frags with SKBFL_SHARED_FRAG, matching TCP. Also make ESP input fall back to skb_cow_data() when the flag is present, so ESP does not decrypt externally backed frags in place. Private nonlinear skb frags still use the existing fast path. This intentionally does not change ESP output. In esp_output_head(), the path that appends the ESP trailer to existing skb tailroom without calling skb_cow_data() is not reachable for nonlinear skbs: skb_tailroom() returns zero when skb->data_len is nonzero, while ESP tailen is positive. Thus ESP output will either use the separate destination-frag path or fall back to skb_cow_data().
Just like with Copy Fail, the Dirty Frag vulnerability allows a local user to elevate privileges to the root user. In addition to local privilege escalation on the vulnerable host, the vulnerability may additionally facilitate container escape scenarios in container deployments that may execute arbitrary third-party workloads.
This time, all Linux kernels are affected, including Linux 7.0. The vulnerability was already patched in the mainline kernel with the Linux 7.0.5, Linux 6.18.28, Linux 6.12.87, Linux 6.6.138, Linux 6.1.171, Linux 5.15.205, and Linux 5.10.255 releases published earlier today. Updating your distributions to these kernel versions addresses the Dirty Frag vulnerability.
Since all Linux distros are affected by this new vulnerability, distribution maintainers are working hard right now to release patched kernels to their users, so make sure that you keep your installations up to date at all times. Until a patched kernel is available, you can mitigate Dirty Frag by blocking the affected kernel modules with a /etc/modprobe.d/dirty-frag.conf file containing:
echo "install esp4 /bin/false" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/dirty-frag.conf
echo "install esp6 /bin/false" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/dirty-frag.conf
echo "install rxrpc /bin/false" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/dirty-frag.confRegenerate the initramfs images with the sudo update-initramfs -u -k all command to prevent the modules from being loaded during early boot. In the case that the modules are already loaded, unload them with the sudo rmmod esp4 esp6 rxrpc 2>/dev/null command.