Linux Kernel up to 7.2.9/7.3-rc5 octeontx2-pf null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability described as very critical has been identified in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.9/7.3-rc5. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the component octeontx2-pf. The manipulation results in null pointer dereference. This vulnerability was named CVE-2026-98806. The attack may be performed from remote. There is no available exploit. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.9/7.3-rc5. It has been classified as very critical. Affected is an unknown code block of the component octeontx2-pf. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as 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. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: octeontx2-pf: Fix aura BPID assignment when CONFIG_DCB is enabled Previously, BPID assignment under CONFIG_DCB assumed `queue_to_pfc_map` was always initialized. For SDP VFs this leads to invalid memory access as it was not initialized. This patch adds a NULL check for `queue_to_pfc_map` before dereferencing it. Also, simplifies the logic by always assigning a default BPID first, then conditionally overriding it if CONFIG_DCB is enabled and the map exists.

The advisory is available at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2026-98806 since 09/25/2026. The exploitability is told to be easy. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The exploitation doesn't require any form of authentication. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not available. The structure of the vulnerability defines a possible price range of USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 10/18/2026).

Upgrading to version 7.2.10 or 7.3-rc6 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 59fbbded05e559675930fd521b8d62b72828b52d/056994563935e049093f100efaad7e63ad113814 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 7.2.0
• 7.2.1
• 7.2.2
• 7.2.3
• 7.2.4
• 7.2.5
• 7.2.6
• 7.2.7
• 7.2.8
• 7.2.9
• 7.3-rc1
• 7.3-rc2
• 7.3-rc3
• 7.3-rc4
• 7.3-rc5

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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