VulnerabilityPublished 24 Sep 2026Updated 30 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97480: Linux kernel · tty: serial: 8250: protect against NULL uart->port.dev in register

Source GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-97480· Medium

Not known to be exploited · fixed in f728f7f38a6eca16923c72fc6826445810d2b41f : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 17:48 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Patch: Available – fixed in f728f7f38a6eca16923c72fc6826445810d2b41f, 68059b6e9f7292714286e2b0f5185ed2a43fccc5, 941c9f84c9b6310f7aaa1c8c785dcc634ee33050 +2

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 24 Sep 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 30 Oct 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.

ghsa-jrxp-w58r-g8c9

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4a96895f74c9633b51427fd080ab70fa62b65bc4, < f728f7f38a6eca16923c72fc6826445810d2b41f	Fixed in f728f7f38a6eca16923c72fc6826445810d2b41f
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4a96895f74c9633b51427fd080ab70fa62b65bc4, < 68059b6e9f7292714286e2b0f5185ed2a43fccc5	Fixed in 68059b6e9f7292714286e2b0f5185ed2a43fccc5
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4a96895f74c9633b51427fd080ab70fa62b65bc4, < 941c9f84c9b6310f7aaa1c8c785dcc634ee33050	Fixed in 941c9f84c9b6310f7aaa1c8c785dcc634ee33050
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4a96895f74c9633b51427fd080ab70fa62b65bc4, < 9c78f89cf2fbae18b14c78bf172ca15d832aff15	Fixed in 9c78f89cf2fbae18b14c78bf172ca15d832aff15
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4a96895f74c9633b51427fd080ab70fa62b65bc4, < 5cbab666721d974bfe033a12045d808936deaefd	Fixed in 5cbab666721d974bfe033a12045d808936deaefd
LinuxLinux	Affected =5.3	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Apply the official fix that adds a NULL check before calling has_acpi_companion() to prevent kernel NULL pointer dereference. Since the vulnerability is resolved in the Linux kernel, updating to a patched kernel version is recommended once available. No other mitigation is indicated.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's 8250 serial driver can cause a NULL pointer dereference due to missing NULL checks when handling uart->port.dev. This flaw occurs when both the existing uart slot and the new port have a NULL device pointer, leading to a kernel NULL dereference during an ACPI companion check.

Impact

This vulnerability can cause a kernel NULL pointer dereference, leading to a denial of service (system crash) when the affected code path is executed with NULL device pointers. There is no indication of privilege escalation or code execution impact.

Summary

The Linux kernel's serial8250_register_8250_port() function conditionally copies uart->port.dev from up->port.dev only if up->port.dev is non-NULL. However, if both uart->port.dev and up->port.dev are NULL, uart->port.dev remains NULL. Subsequently, the code calls has_acpi_companion(uart->port.dev) without checking for NULL, causing a kernel NULL pointer dereference. The fix involves adding a NULL check before this call to prevent dereferencing a NULL pointer, maintaining compatibility with legacy non-OF/non-ACPI registrations.

References

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