Linux Kernel up to 7.2.12 au1000 au1000_probe null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.12. It has been rated as critical. This impacts the function au1000_probe of the component au1000. The manipulation leads to null pointer dereference. This vulnerability is documented as CVE-2026-99196. The attack can be initiated remotely. There is not any exploit available. Upgrading the affected component is advised.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.12. It has been rated as critical. This issue affects the function au1000_probe of the component au1000. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to 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. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: au1000: move setting of netops to fix crash au1000_probe() calls au1000_mii_probe(), which connects the PHY, before dev->netdev_ops is assigned. phy_attach_direct() -> phy_link_topo_add_phy() reads dev->netdev_ops through netdev_need_ops_lock() since the commit in question, so probing crashes with a NULL pointer dereference when CONFIG_NET_SHAPER is enabled. Assign netdev_ops before the PHY attach, as was done for emac in commit 7c9f391ec89c ("net: emac: move setting of netops to fix crash").

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-99196 since 09/25/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 10/28/2026).

Upgrading to version 7.2.13 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch cfc11024fc061bf36044b40de9ecab57ed0a537d/beabbafdd0f6779813a7656baa1b412b19bda911 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

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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
• 7.2.10
• 7.2.11
• 7.2.12

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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