VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98618: Linux kernel · eth: fbnic: Handle maximum standalone channels

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 9843e5fabd6ab296df9c025b1d0e5bf79a6b8a08 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

Medium

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 9843e5fabd6ab296df9c025b1d0e5bf79a6b8a08, 16ff1023213cc39c1a7ce737205c2a1a53c3a716, 6c903188b67617070017305a325fa326f270a43d +1

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 Linux kernel to 9843e5fabd6ab296df9c025b1d0e5bf79a6b8a08, 16ff1023213cc39c1a7ce737205c2a1a53c3a716, 6c903188b67617070017305a325fa326f270a43d or 1f4c73064a50f53d596c6f1d06d2d700f43c4b32.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bc6107771bb4be3009168cfda24d22131c026fe8, < 9843e5fabd6ab296df9c025b1d0e5bf79a6b8a08	Fixed in 9843e5fabd6ab296df9c025b1d0e5bf79a6b8a08
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bc6107771bb4be3009168cfda24d22131c026fe8, < 16ff1023213cc39c1a7ce737205c2a1a53c3a716	Fixed in 16ff1023213cc39c1a7ce737205c2a1a53c3a716
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bc6107771bb4be3009168cfda24d22131c026fe8, < 6c903188b67617070017305a325fa326f270a43d	Fixed in 6c903188b67617070017305a325fa326f270a43d
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bc6107771bb4be3009168cfda24d22131c026fe8, < 1f4c73064a50f53d596c6f1d06d2d700f43c4b32	Fixed in 1f4c73064a50f53d596c6f1d06d2d700f43c4b32
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.11	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available in the Linux kernel as indicated by the fixed commit versions. Users and administrators should update to the patched kernel versions containing the referenced fixes to remediate this issue.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's fbnic driver related to handling maximum standalone channels has been resolved. The issue arises because the allocation path for NAPI vectors excludes the maximum number of Tx queues, leading to NULL entries that are dereferenced during resource setup in configurations with 64 Tx and 64 Rx queues. This could cause instability or crashes. The fix includes properly accounting for the maximum vector count in standalone allocation.

Impact

The vulnerability can lead to NULL pointer dereferences in the fbnic driver when handling maximum standalone channels, potentially causing kernel instability or crashes in affected Linux kernel version 6.11. There is no indication of exploitation in the wild or direct security compromise beyond system reliability impact.

Summary

CVE-2026-98618 addresses a flaw in the Linux kernel's fbnic network driver where standalone channels use one NAPI vector per Tx and Rx queue. The allocation logic incorrectly excludes FBNIC_MAX_TXQS from the vector layout, causing a mismatch: a 64-Tx/64-Rx setup expects 128 vectors but only allocates 64, resulting in NULL pointer dereferences during resource setup. The patch corrects this by including the maximum vector count in the allocation process, preventing invalid dereferences.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 10:08 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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