Linux Kernel up to 6.18.50/7.2.3 ionic driver ion.c alloc_and_bind null pointer dereference

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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Current Exploit Price (≈)
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CTI Interest Score
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6.0$0-$5k0.00+

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.50/7.2.3. It has been rated as critical. This impacts the function alloc_and_bind of the file ion.c of the component ionic driver. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-89509. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. There is no exploit available. Upgrading the affected component is advised.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.50/7.2.3. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function alloc_and_bind of the file ion.c of the component ionic driver. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-476. A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/ionic: Embed counter driver data in rdma_counter allocation Commit 7e53b31acc7f ("RDMA/core: Create and destroy rdma_counter using rdma_zalloc_drv_obj()") requires drivers implementing counter ops to embed struct rdma_counter in a driver-specific struct, register its size via INIT_RDMA_OBJ_SIZE, and provide a counter_init callback. The ionic driver was merged without this adaptation, causing a NULL pointer dereference in alloc_and_bind() since rdma_zalloc_drv_obj() allocates zero bytes when size_rdma_counter is unset. Consolidate struct ionic_counter into a new struct ionic_rdma_counter that embeds struct rdma_counter, replace the xarray with a lightweight ida for ID allocation, and add the required counter_init and INIT_RDMA_OBJ_SIZE declarations.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-89509 since 09/11/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/12/2026).

Upgrading to version 6.18.51, 7.2.4 or 7.3-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch c98197ee3cd28288da13dc9881bb9e74daa7cbbc/08b8630b557828aedb1d9ef0a6e2ec421f334ee2/cf3ebd89e754015625fee90aa938f6bc79a2c974 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.

Productinfo

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CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 6.3
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 6.0

VulDB Base Score: 6.3
VulDB Temp Score: 6.0
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Null pointer dereference
CWE: CWE-476 / CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.18.51/7.2.4/7.3-rc1
Patch: c98197ee3cd28288da13dc9881bb9e74daa7cbbc/08b8630b557828aedb1d9ef0a6e2ec421f334ee2/cf3ebd89e754015625fee90aa938f6bc79a2c974

Timelineinfo

09/11/2026 CVE reserved
09/11/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
09/12/2026 +0 days Advisory disclosed
09/12/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-89509 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-89509
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-402829

Entryinfo

Created: 09/12/2026 00:58
Changes: 09/12/2026 00:58 (60)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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