VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97972: Linux kernel · net: macb: put the "mdio" child node reference on success

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 382a373d9ea7a6ac4de9c022385b6217f65ae3cc : 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 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 382a373d9ea7a6ac4de9c022385b6217f65ae3cc, 7d60dc7ff85b73a2119d582ca2d4456b30960380, 5fba30080d298edb742396073372385c961578d3

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 Linux kernel to 382a373d9ea7a6ac4de9c022385b6217f65ae3cc, 7d60dc7ff85b73a2119d582ca2d4456b30960380 or 5fba30080d298edb742396073372385c961578d3.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8a6631f1cece09047fa44608d21d520ca65ce7d8, < 382a373d9ea7a6ac4de9c022385b6217f65ae3cc	Fixed in 382a373d9ea7a6ac4de9c022385b6217f65ae3cc
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8a6631f1cece09047fa44608d21d520ca65ce7d8, < 7d60dc7ff85b73a2119d582ca2d4456b30960380	Fixed in 7d60dc7ff85b73a2119d582ca2d4456b30960380
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 8a6631f1cece09047fa44608d21d520ca65ce7d8, < 5fba30080d298edb742396073372385c961578d3	Fixed in 5fba30080d298edb742396073372385c961578d3
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.13	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: macb: put the "mdio" child node reference on success macb_mii_init() holds the reference returned by of_get_child_by_name() for macb_mdiobus_register() and drops it only on the error paths, so every successful probe leaks a node reference. On a CM5, overlay removal after four bind cycles reports OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 5 Drop the reference after registration, where __mdiobus_register() has already taken its own for the lifetime of the bus.

References

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