VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98795: Linux kernel · net: sparx5: skip ptp deinit if init was skipped

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 2879b65bfa548e10d59c5fba91d17f8a00cd7029 : 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: 0.1% 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 2879b65bfa548e10d59c5fba91d17f8a00cd7029, 35c706d6eb1963735814c5f5bb2674a96eacf3cc, 0d2c49915bc3aea4521cda5e4d42f24f63b94585

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 2879b65bfa548e10d59c5fba91d17f8a00cd7029, 35c706d6eb1963735814c5f5bb2674a96eacf3cc or 0d2c49915bc3aea4521cda5e4d42f24f63b94585.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 0933bd04047c3b96ba49545a8f91e7e6f8f666ff, < 2879b65bfa548e10d59c5fba91d17f8a00cd7029	Fixed in 2879b65bfa548e10d59c5fba91d17f8a00cd7029
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 0933bd04047c3b96ba49545a8f91e7e6f8f666ff, < 35c706d6eb1963735814c5f5bb2674a96eacf3cc	Fixed in 35c706d6eb1963735814c5f5bb2674a96eacf3cc
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 0933bd04047c3b96ba49545a8f91e7e6f8f666ff, < 0d2c49915bc3aea4521cda5e4d42f24f63b94585	Fixed in 0d2c49915bc3aea4521cda5e4d42f24f63b94585
LinuxLinux	Affected =5.18	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available in the Linux kernel source code as indicated by the fixed commit versions. Users and administrators should update to a Linux kernel version that includes these fixes to prevent the NULL pointer dereference. No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official patch.

Description

CVE-2026-98795 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's sparx5 network driver where a NULL pointer dereference occurs during driver unbinding if the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) initialization was skipped. This happens because sparx5_ptp_init() may return early without initializing PTP-related structures, but sparx5_ptp_deinit() does not check for this condition before cleanup, leading to a NULL dereference and potential kernel crash. The issue affects Linux kernel version 5.18 and has been fixed by adding an early return in sparx5_ptp_deinit() when PTP is not used.

Impact

The vulnerability causes a NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel during unbinding of the sparx5 network driver when PTP initialization was skipped. This can lead to a kernel crash (panic) and potential denial of service on affected systems running Linux kernel version 5.18.

Summary

The Linux kernel sparx5 network driver has a flaw where sparx5_ptp_init() returns early without initializing PTP if the SPX5_FEATURE_PTP flag is absent or no 'ptp' interrupt is described. However, sparx5_ptp_deinit() does not account for this early return and attempts to clean up uninitialized tx_skbs queues, causing a NULL pointer dereference during driver removal. This results in a kernel crash due to dereferencing a NULL pointer at virtual address 0x8. The vulnerability was fixed by modifying sparx5_ptp_deinit() to return early if PTP was never initialized, preventing the NULL dereference.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 09:57 UTC

Technical details

References

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