CVE-2026-80998: Linux Vulnerability (CVSS 7.5)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bnxt: ring the doorbell when SW USO exits early When a burst of packets is handed down to the driver, the driver defers the doorbell to the end by setting txr->kick_pending = 1. The normal TX path handles this, but the SW USO path can miss it if it returns early. If bnxt_sw_udp_gso_xmit runs but returns early with NETDEV_TX_BUSY and txr->kick_pending was previously set to 1, then the TX queue can stall because the driver wrote some BDs but never wrote the doorbell. The device won't know to do the TX which would generate the completion that would wake the queue back up. Simplify bnxt_sw_udp_gso_xmit to set txr->kick_pending in its success case and check the flag on return. The added check after bnxt_sw_udp_gso_xmit returns ensures that any pending doorbells are written handling both successful USO and any early returns, which prevents the TX queue stall mentioned above. This TX queue stall was observed on a production system with a netdev TX watchdog informing about the queue stall.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.19%

8.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= cc5d90667db81474ed7a92a1b2fa3daec5559307, < 48d1c9665db6e3d4aeca62eb669377162ebc6fdf; >= cc5d90667db81474ed7a92a1b2fa3daec5559307, < 4e15e89faac9f308baeb01f46c13a051814d2449
Linux	Linux	7.1

References

Timeline

Published: Sep 11, 2026
Last Modified: Sep 13, 2026
Status: Received

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-80998?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bnxt: ring the doorbell when SW USO exits early When a burst of packets is handed down to the driver, the driver defers the doorbell to the end by setting txr->kick_pending = 1. The normal TX path handles this, but the SW USO path can miss it if it returns early. If bnxt_sw_udp_gso_xmit runs but returns early with NETDEV_TX_BUSY and txr->kick_pending was previously set to 1, then the TX queue can stall because the driver wrote some BDs but never wrote the doorbell. The device won't know to do the TX which would generate the completion that would wake the queue back up. Simplify bnxt_sw_udp_gso_xmit to set txr->kick_pending in its success case and check the flag on return. The added check after bnxt_sw_udp_gso_xmit returns ensures that any pending doorbells are written handling both successful USO and any early returns, which prevents the TX queue stall mentioned above. This TX queue stall was observed on a production system with a netdev TX watchdog informing about the queue stall.

How severe is CVE-2026-80998?

CVE-2026-80998 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.19% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-80998?

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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