VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98688: Linux kernel · thunderbolt: Fix NULL dereference in tb_remove_work()

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98688· Medium

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 4310c6b8e75d6a47f7548e5948fbe6318aa4440a : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 4310c6b8e75d6a47f7548e5948fbe6318aa4440a, 5.16, 5.11 +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.

ghsa-g38j-2fmx-j974

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to 4310c6b8e75d6a47f7548e5948fbe6318aa4440a, 5.16, 5.11 or 2f4cd43faa9d6470b30a9fbcbac6584db8108c1f.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected >=5.10.266 <5.11 >=5.15.217 <5.16	Fixed in 4310c6b8e75d6a47f7548e5948fbe6318aa4440a 5.16 5.11 2f4cd43faa9d6470b30a9fbcbac6584db8108c1f
LinuxLinux	Affected =7.2	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to restore proper locking and NULL checks around tb_free_unplugged_xdomains(). Users should update to the fixed kernel version once available. Patch status is not explicitly stated in the provided data; check the vendor advisory or Linux kernel mailing lists for the official fix and version details.

Description

A race condition in the Linux kernel's Thunderbolt driver causes a NULL pointer dereference in the tb_remove_work() function. This occurs due to improper locking around tb_free_unplugged_xdomains(), which accesses tb->root_switch without verifying it is non-NULL. The issue was identified by static analysis and has been resolved.

References

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