VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98594: Linux kernel · tg3: clean up PHYLIB resources on probe failure

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in e766321288b507afb70d2bfef6ba443213329f79 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

Low

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in e766321288b507afb70d2bfef6ba443213329f79, d2abb0013b933d59ee441185df0eca9e8c0b33eb, ce86d6929d03e6b0abcb781dfa50f9f0816bff78 +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Oct 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 ≥ 158d7abdae85e9ac43d99780c372d79c119f7626, < e766321288b507afb70d2bfef6ba443213329f79	Fixed in e766321288b507afb70d2bfef6ba443213329f79
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 158d7abdae85e9ac43d99780c372d79c119f7626, < d2abb0013b933d59ee441185df0eca9e8c0b33eb	Fixed in d2abb0013b933d59ee441185df0eca9e8c0b33eb
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 158d7abdae85e9ac43d99780c372d79c119f7626, < ce86d6929d03e6b0abcb781dfa50f9f0816bff78	Fixed in ce86d6929d03e6b0abcb781dfa50f9f0816bff78
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 158d7abdae85e9ac43d99780c372d79c119f7626, < b6c0c757c65893ad7bb17e8bcf33cdd8257d7b3d	Fixed in b6c0c757c65893ad7bb17e8bcf33cdd8257d7b3d
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 158d7abdae85e9ac43d99780c372d79c119f7626, < a449eedb3b1eb5b8b1f5ed116a1bfe85eaaf81df	Fixed in a449eedb3b1eb5b8b1f5ed116a1bfe85eaaf81df
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 158d7abdae85e9ac43d99780c372d79c119f7626, < a92e1a412c53dc0d9ad639e7abf8b3fc70a5b6ad	Fixed in a92e1a412c53dc0d9ad639e7abf8b3fc70a5b6ad

AI-suggested

A fix is available in the Linux kernel as indicated by multiple fixed commit versions. Users should update to a Linux kernel version that includes these fixes to ensure proper cleanup of PHYLIB resources on probe failure.

Description

A resource cleanup issue in the Linux kernel tg3 driver was fixed. The vulnerability involved incomplete cleanup of PHYLIB resources on probe failure, potentially leading to resource leaks. The fix ensures proper disconnection of PHY and unregistration of the MDIO bus during error handling.

Impact

The vulnerability could lead to resource leaks in the Linux kernel tg3 driver when initialization fails, potentially affecting system stability or resource availability. There is no indication of direct security compromise or exploitation in the wild.

Summary

The Linux kernel tg3 driver had a flaw where tg3_get_invariants() registered an MDIO bus and connected a PHY for USE_PHYLIB devices, but if tg3_init_one() failed afterward, the error path did not properly release PHYLIB resources. This could cause resource leaks as the PHY was not disconnected and the MDIO bus was not unregistered. The patch added unconditional calls to tg3_mdio_fini() and guarded PHY cleanup with USE_PHYLIB to ensure proper teardown. Flags IS_CONNECTED and MDIOBUS_INITED were used to safely handle partial initialization states. This issue was found during static analysis of kernel code.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 10:22 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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