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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-98305: Linux kernel · net: dsa: mxl862xx: disable the stats poll on teardown

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High : upgrade to 97df811a11d4f76bc2ffe67b6bf730263f56c668 or 9e92ad4630f5dd1838ce6bbe6b1bd2c73d34de36 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 2% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 97df811a11d4f76bc2ffe67b6bf730263f56c668, 9e92ad4630f5dd1838ce6bbe6b1bd2c73d34de36
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 6 Oct 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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.

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to 97df811a11d4f76bc2ffe67b6bf730263f56c668 or 9e92ad4630f5dd1838ce6bbe6b1bd2c73d34de36.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ a21d33a5265f0b31d935a8b9b2b6faefb5185911, < 97df811a11d4f76bc2ffe67b6bf730263f56c668
Fixed in
  • 97df811a11d4f76bc2ffe67b6bf730263f56c668
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ a21d33a5265f0b31d935a8b9b2b6faefb5185911, < 9e92ad4630f5dd1838ce6bbe6b1bd2c73d34de36
Fixed in
  • 9e92ad4630f5dd1838ce6bbe6b1bd2c73d34de36
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • =7.1
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available in the Linux kernel commits identified by hashes 97df811a11d4f76bc2ffe67b6bf730263f56c668 and 9e92ad4630f5dd1838ce6bbe6b1bd2c73d34de36. Users should update to a kernel version including these fixes. No additional mitigations are specified or required beyond applying the official patch.

Description

CVE-2026-98305 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel's DSA (Distributed Switch Architecture) driver for the mxl862xx device. The issue arises because the stats polling mechanism is armed before the setup process completes, and there is no proper stop mechanism on teardown or error paths. This can cause the polling function to access freed memory, leading to potential crashes or data corruption. The flaw has been fixed by ensuring the poll is only armed after successful setup and properly disabled during teardown and shutdown.

References

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