VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98791: Linux kernel · net/mlx5e: Fix AF_XDP TX timestamp teardown NULL dereference

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98791· Medium

Not known to be exploited · fixed in fce70b6bf9f3261e887419a4e7caa25b80fa9d55 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in fce70b6bf9f3261e887419a4e7caa25b80fa9d55, f81d40e2eb69552334f510114f3e6edd0d43178b, 63df0ef4c6e3105589e6bb2e758ce611b0ada86c +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-5f42-c4x2-rx63

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to fce70b6bf9f3261e887419a4e7caa25b80fa9d55, f81d40e2eb69552334f510114f3e6edd0d43178b, 63df0ef4c6e3105589e6bb2e758ce611b0ada86c or 7b97273cbebe9dd4fddc457f0c4f2a124d0e3996.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec706a860eba99bf934d59f74b5db90af44e882e, < fce70b6bf9f3261e887419a4e7caa25b80fa9d55	Fixed in fce70b6bf9f3261e887419a4e7caa25b80fa9d55
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec706a860eba99bf934d59f74b5db90af44e882e, < f81d40e2eb69552334f510114f3e6edd0d43178b	Fixed in f81d40e2eb69552334f510114f3e6edd0d43178b
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec706a860eba99bf934d59f74b5db90af44e882e, < 63df0ef4c6e3105589e6bb2e758ce611b0ada86c	Fixed in 63df0ef4c6e3105589e6bb2e758ce611b0ada86c
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ ec706a860eba99bf934d59f74b5db90af44e882e, < 7b97273cbebe9dd4fddc457f0c4f2a124d0e3996	Fixed in 7b97273cbebe9dd4fddc457f0c4f2a124d0e3996
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.8	Fixed in–
Linuxlinux/kernel`pkg:deb/linux/kernel`Other threats	Affected =6.8	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to address this issue. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this patch to remediate the vulnerability. No additional mitigation steps are indicated.

Description

A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/mlx5e driver related to AF_XDP TX timestamp teardown has been fixed. The issue occurs during teardown of the XSK TX queue when outstanding descriptors are completed without a completion queue entry (CQE). If a TX timestamp was requested, the code dereferences a null CQE pointer, causing a potential crash. The fix returns zero when no CQE is available, preventing the null dereference.

References

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