CVE-2026-74659: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bridge: mrp: fix uninitialised bytes on the wire br_mrp_alloc_test

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bridge: mrp: fix uninitialised bytes on the wire br_mrp_alloc_test_skb() builds MRP t

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bridge: mrp: fix uninitialised bytes on the wire br_mrp_alloc_test_skb() builds MRP test frames on an skb from dev_alloc_skb(), which does not clear the linear data area. On the MRA ring-role branch the sub-option TLV header is appended with sub_tlv = skb_put(skb, sizeof(*sub_tlv)); sub_tlv->type = BR_MRP_SUB_TLV_HEADER_TEST_AUTO_MGR; so sub_tlv->length is never written, and the two trailing alignment bytes are appended with a bare skb_put() that does not clear them either. The neighbouring oui and sub_opt regions are explicitly zeroed, so three uninitialised bytes are left in every MRA MRP_Test frame that goes out. Put the sub-option TLV header and the alignment padding in a single skb_put_zero(), which clears both. The AUTO_MGR sub-TLV carries no payload, so the zeroed length field is already the value it should have.

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 0.17%, higher than 6% 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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