VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97963: Linux kernel · net: stmmac: initialize ptp_lock at probe time

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ee33e424d4932c70f103b94a46b685923f236f65 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in ee33e424d4932c70f103b94a46b685923f236f65, b1986595cf827c38ff929e22fbc9ca8f76379306, 420315413b29635de1d4ea4142e410e6465260f3 +4

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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 ≥ b60189e0392fa06348911077ef281eb2b1047b6a, < ee33e424d4932c70f103b94a46b685923f236f65	Fixed in ee33e424d4932c70f103b94a46b685923f236f65
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b60189e0392fa06348911077ef281eb2b1047b6a, < b1986595cf827c38ff929e22fbc9ca8f76379306	Fixed in b1986595cf827c38ff929e22fbc9ca8f76379306
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b60189e0392fa06348911077ef281eb2b1047b6a, < 420315413b29635de1d4ea4142e410e6465260f3	Fixed in 420315413b29635de1d4ea4142e410e6465260f3
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b60189e0392fa06348911077ef281eb2b1047b6a, < 0338c68e22abd2ee509ec2e32508a50896618c32	Fixed in 0338c68e22abd2ee509ec2e32508a50896618c32
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b60189e0392fa06348911077ef281eb2b1047b6a, < 79fb5bcc50996964e076dffbdc24b7d2c06bd957	Fixed in 79fb5bcc50996964e076dffbdc24b7d2c06bd957
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b60189e0392fa06348911077ef281eb2b1047b6a, < 25cc0096efba83b4e0e6fa50f03e9543b41e9d3d	Fixed in 25cc0096efba83b4e0e6fa50f03e9543b41e9d3d

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: stmmac: initialize ptp_lock at probe time priv->ptp_lock is only initialized in stmmac_ptp_register(), which runs during __stmmac_open(). However, the lock is also used while the interface is down and has never been opened: tc_taprio_configure() invokes the PTP gettime64() callback to compute the EST base time when offloading a TAPRIO schedule, and stmmac_get_time() takes priv->ptp_lock. Using an uninitialized rwlock is undefined behaviour. Move the rwlock_init() to __stmmac_dvr_probe(), together with the other private locks, so that ptp_lock is always valid regardless of the interface state.

References

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