VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97981: Linux kernel · net: ethernet: cortina: Count dropped frames as NAPI work

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in e858b9b1ea3cbbc353189d07dec40dc16967e290 : 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 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in e858b9b1ea3cbbc353189d07dec40dc16967e290, cceb6cd7f0e5ed2944a9ca22443d7b9da82f60ab, b856c552f556bc0341c1dbe0bf88e630fd1dc4b7 +5

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 ≥ 4d5ae32f5e1e13f7f36d6439ec3257993b9f5b88, < e858b9b1ea3cbbc353189d07dec40dc16967e290	Fixed in e858b9b1ea3cbbc353189d07dec40dc16967e290
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4d5ae32f5e1e13f7f36d6439ec3257993b9f5b88, < cceb6cd7f0e5ed2944a9ca22443d7b9da82f60ab	Fixed in cceb6cd7f0e5ed2944a9ca22443d7b9da82f60ab
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4d5ae32f5e1e13f7f36d6439ec3257993b9f5b88, < b856c552f556bc0341c1dbe0bf88e630fd1dc4b7	Fixed in b856c552f556bc0341c1dbe0bf88e630fd1dc4b7
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4d5ae32f5e1e13f7f36d6439ec3257993b9f5b88, < 58140f1cebb776d174dc6ff41c15401654a5b1ea	Fixed in 58140f1cebb776d174dc6ff41c15401654a5b1ea
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4d5ae32f5e1e13f7f36d6439ec3257993b9f5b88, < 9620e2ce9b5998ebbf157241f296f8ddb92285c2	Fixed in 9620e2ce9b5998ebbf157241f296f8ddb92285c2
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4d5ae32f5e1e13f7f36d6439ec3257993b9f5b88, < 5754e0c0758805096ecfeaf4c1b146ad51ed246f	Fixed in 5754e0c0758805096ecfeaf4c1b146ad51ed246f

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ethernet: cortina: Count dropped frames as NAPI work The RX loop only consumes budget when it successfully delivers a frame. Error paths keep consuming descriptors without reducing the budget, so a stream of bad frames can process the entire receive ring in one poll. Move the budget accounting to a common end-of-frame path. This counts each completed frame as NAPI work whether it was delivered or dropped, matching the behavior of the vendor driver.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…