VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98690: Linux kernel · thunderbolt: Fix domain reference leak when DPRX read is canceled

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 7739b02129b2248f9a8054cfda924fa253f66a88 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 7739b02129b2248f9a8054cfda924fa253f66a88, 2f5893172fc6153f5f1ef34014ddbfcbf1f47f29, 1fd1f67c94d30889377bba774f032ec15e8b9299

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 7739b02129b2248f9a8054cfda924fa253f66a88, 2f5893172fc6153f5f1ef34014ddbfcbf1f47f29 or 1fd1f67c94d30889377bba774f032ec15e8b9299.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9, < 7739b02129b2248f9a8054cfda924fa253f66a88	Fixed in 7739b02129b2248f9a8054cfda924fa253f66a88
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9, < 2f5893172fc6153f5f1ef34014ddbfcbf1f47f29	Fixed in 2f5893172fc6153f5f1ef34014ddbfcbf1f47f29
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9, < 1fd1f67c94d30889377bba774f032ec15e8b9299	Fixed in 1fd1f67c94d30889377bba774f032ec15e8b9299
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.14	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel source as indicated by the fixed commit hashes. Users should update to a Linux kernel version that includes these fixes or apply the relevant patches. No additional mitigation steps are indicated.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Thunderbolt driver causes a domain reference leak when a DisplayPort (DP) tunnel read operation is canceled. This leak can block driver unbinding indefinitely, leading to resource management issues. The flaw occurs if a DP tunnel is torn down before the DPRX read completes, such as unplugging within a timeout window. The issue has been fixed by adjusting reference ownership within the DPRX work scheduling logic.

Impact

The vulnerability causes a domain reference leak that can block the unbinding of the Thunderbolt driver indefinitely, potentially leading to resource exhaustion or system instability during device unplug or driver removal scenarios involving DisplayPort tunnels. There is no indication of remote code execution or privilege escalation. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

The Linux kernel Thunderbolt driver had a domain reference leak triggered when a DPRX read operation was canceled prematurely. The function tb_tunnel_one_dp() takes a domain reference that is only released after tb_dp_tunnel_active() runs on a work queue. If this work is canceled, the reference is leaked. Since a prior commit changed the behavior from leaking memory to blocking indefinitely during driver unbinding, this caused a hang. The fix moves the domain reference ownership into the DPRX work itself, ensuring paired get/put calls within the same file and preventing leaks or hangs regardless of callback execution. This vulnerability affects Linux kernel version 6.14 and was resolved in specific commits identified by their hashes.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 10:01 UTC

Technical details

References

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