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CVE-2026-23258

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.11%

Last modified

CVE-2026-23258 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: liquidio: Initialize netdev pointer before queue setup In setup_nic_devices(), the netdev is allocated using alloc_etherdev_mq(). However, the pointer to this structure is stored in oct->props[i].netdev only after the calls to netif_set_real_num_rx_queues() and netif_set_real_num_tx_queues(). If either of these functions fails, setup_nic_devices() returns an error without freeing the allocated netdev. Since oct->props[i].netdev is still NULL at this point, the cleanup function liquidio_destroy_nic_device() will fail to find and free the netdev, resulting in a memory leak. Fix this by initializing oct->props[i].netdev before calling the queue setup functions. EPSS estimates a 0.11% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: liquidio: Initialize netdev pointer before queue setup In setup_nic_devices(), the netdev is allocated using alloc_etherdev_mq(). However, the pointer to this structure is stored in oct->props[i].netdev only after the calls to netif_set_real_num_rx_queues() and netif_set_real_num_tx_queues(). If either of these functions fails, setup_nic_devices() returns an error without freeing the allocated netdev. Since oct->props[i].netdev is still NULL at this point, the cleanup function liquidio_destroy_nic_device() will fail to find and free the netdev, resulting in a memory leak. Fix this by initializing oct->props[i].netdev before calling the queue setup functions. This ensures that the netdev is properly accessible for cleanup in case of errors. Compile tested only. Issue found using a prototype static analysis tool and code review.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability
0.11%

1.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersionsUpdate
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 4.18, < 5.10.250—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.11, < 5.15.200—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.16, < 6.1.163—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.2, < 6.6.124—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.7, < 6.12.70—
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.13, < 6.18.10—
LinuxLinux Kernel6.19Rc1

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-23258?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: liquidio: Initialize netdev pointer before queue setup In setup_nic_devices(), the netdev is allocated using alloc_etherdev_mq(). However, the pointer to this structure is stored in oct->props[i].netdev only after the calls to netif_set_real_num_rx_queues() and netif_set_real_num_tx_queues(). If either of these functions fails, setup_nic_devices() returns an error without freeing the allocated netdev. Since oct->props[i].netdev is still NULL at this point, the cleanup function liquidio_destroy_nic_device() will fail to find and free the netdev, resulting in a memory leak. Fix this by initializing oct->props[i].netdev before calling the queue setup functions. This ensures that the netdev is properly accessible for cleanup in case of errors. Compile tested only. Issue found using a prototype static analysis tool and code review.
How severe is CVE-2026-23258?
CVE-2026-23258 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.11% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-23258?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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Source: NVD / NIST