In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ethernet: mtk_eth_soc: unregister net_devices in case of probe failure If… (CVE-2026-98620)

The Linux kernel's MTK Ethernet driver had a flaw in the error handling path during device probe. If register_netdev() failed for one of the MTK_MAX_DEVS devices in mtk_probe(), the code skipped unregistering previously registered net_devices before freeing them. This led to a BUG_ON triggered by freeing net_devices still in the NETREG_REGISTERED state instead of NETREG_UNREGISTERED. The fix routes the failure path to properly unregister net_devices before freeing, preventing the kernel BUG.

This vulnerability causes a kernel BUG and potential system instability or crash when the MTK Ethernet driver probe fails and net_devices are freed without proper unregistration. It affects system reliability but does not indicate direct code execution or privilege escalation.

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to properly unregister net_devices on probe failure in the MTK Ethernet driver. Users should update to the fixed kernel version once available. No other mitigation is indicated.