VulnerabilityPublished 18 Mar 2026Updated 5 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-23258: Linux kernel · net: liquidio: Initialize netdev pointer before queue setup

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in d028147ae06407cb355245db1774793600670169 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 22:04 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Exploitation: No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable: Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-05.

Patch

Available – fixed in d028147ae06407cb355245db1774793600670169, c81a8515fb8c8fb5d0dbc21f48337494bf1d60df, c0ed6c77ec34050971fd0df2a94dfdea66d09331 +4

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 5 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ c33c997346c34ea7b89aec99524ad9632a2f1e0c, < d028147ae06407cb355245db1774793600670169	Fixed in d028147ae06407cb355245db1774793600670169
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ c33c997346c34ea7b89aec99524ad9632a2f1e0c, < c81a8515fb8c8fb5d0dbc21f48337494bf1d60df	Fixed in c81a8515fb8c8fb5d0dbc21f48337494bf1d60df
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ c33c997346c34ea7b89aec99524ad9632a2f1e0c, < c0ed6c77ec34050971fd0df2a94dfdea66d09331	Fixed in c0ed6c77ec34050971fd0df2a94dfdea66d09331
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ c33c997346c34ea7b89aec99524ad9632a2f1e0c, < be109646cdaecab262f6276303b1763468c94378	Fixed in be109646cdaecab262f6276303b1763468c94378
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ c33c997346c34ea7b89aec99524ad9632a2f1e0c, < a0e57c0b68c9e6f9a8fd7c1167861a5a730eb2f4	Fixed in a0e57c0b68c9e6f9a8fd7c1167861a5a730eb2f4
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ c33c997346c34ea7b89aec99524ad9632a2f1e0c, < 926ede0c85e1e57c97d64d9612455267d597bb2c	Fixed in 926ede0c85e1e57c97d64d9612455267d597bb2c

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: liquidio: Initialize netdev pointer before queue setup In setup_nic_devices(), the netdev is allocated using alloc_etherdev_mq(). However, the pointer to this structure is stored in oct->props[i].netdev only after the calls to netif_set_real_num_rx_queues() and netif_set_real_num_tx_queues(). If either of these functions fails, setup_nic_devices() returns an error without freeing the allocated netdev. Since oct->props[i].netdev is still NULL at this point, the cleanup function liquidio_destroy_nic_device() will fail to find and free the netdev, resulting in a memory leak. Fix this by initializing oct->props[i].netdev before calling the queue setup functions. This ensures that the netdev is properly accessible for cleanup in case of errors. Compile tested only. Issue found using a prototype static analysis tool and code review.

References

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