Medium [CVE-2026-68142] Linux kernel (geneve): Unauthorized network configuration modification via insufficient permission check
This medium-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-68142 affecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.
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Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: geneve: require CAP_NET_ADMIN in the device netns for changelink A tunnel changelink() operates on at most two netns, dev_net(dev) and the sticky underlay netns geneve->net. They differ once the device is created in or moved to a netns other than the one the request runs in.
The rtnl changelink path checks CAP_NET_ADMIN only against dev_net(dev), so a caller privileged there but not in geneve->net can rewrite a geneve device whose underlay lives in geneve->net. geneve_changelink() applies the new configuration against geneve->net: geneve_link_config() and the geneve_quiesce()/geneve_unquiesce() pair reopen the underlay sockets in that netns (geneve_sock_add() uses geneve->net), so the same reasoning as the tunnel changelink series applies here.
Gate geneve_changelink() with rtnl_dev_link_net_capable(), at the top of the op before any attribute is parsed, matching ipgre_changelink() and the rest of the "require CAP_NET_ADMIN in the device netns for changelink" series. Found by 0sec automated security-research tooling ( ).
A local attacker, with `CAP_NET_ADMIN` privileges in a specific network namespace, could bypass intended permission checks.
Affected products named by the advisory: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9; Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4; Red Hat package: kernel-rt.
Affected versions
No affected-version range was extracted from the source record. The vendor advisory is authoritative — check it before change work.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 1 hour ago·verify at source
Fixed versions
No fixed release is recorded yet. That does not prove no patch exists — confirm against the vendor advisory.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 1 hour ago·verify at source
Mitigation
The source record does not include mitigation steps. That is not a statement that no fix exists — read the vendor advisory below for the authoritative guidance.
Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 1 hour ago·verify at source
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