CVE-2026-97502: Linux Vulnerability

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mmc: davinci: avoid NULL deref of host->data in IRQ handler mmc_davinci_irq() returns early only when both host->cmd and host->data are NULL: if (host->cmd == NULL && host->data == NULL) { ... return IRQ_NONE; } So we may legitimately reach the rest of the handler with host->data == NULL (and therefore data == NULL). The DATDNE branch already guards against this with an explicit "if (data != NULL)" check, but the subsequent TOUTRD ("read data timeout") and CRCWR/CRCRD ("data CRC error") branches dereference data unconditionally: if (qstatus & MMCST0_TOUTRD) { data->error = -ETIMEDOUT; <-- NULL deref ... davinci_abort_data(host, data); } if (qstatus & (MMCST0_CRCWR | MMCST0_CRCRD)) { data->error = -EILSEQ; <-- NULL deref ... } If either bit is set in qstatus while host->data is NULL, the kernel will crash inside the IRQ handler. smatch flags this: drivers/mmc/host/davinci_mmc.c:933 mmc_davinci_irq() error: we previously assumed 'data' could be null (see line 914) Gate both branches on a non-NULL data, matching the existing pattern used by the DATDNE branch. No functional change for callers where data is non-NULL, which is the only case in which these branches did meaningful work before this change.

Affected Software

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

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < a01cedf230dc0fcd55b994f5e548d3982ba4c732; >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 5b7e151fe9ea9311ba601849aaecdc4fc97fd577; >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 4f28846aaf8db9668e338b8987973f8935edff34; < 6.12.111; < 6.18.53
Linux	Linux	All versions

References

Timeline

Published: Sep 24, 2026
Last Modified: Sep 24, 2026
Status: Received

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-97502?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mmc: davinci: avoid NULL deref of host->data in IRQ handler mmc_davinci_irq() returns early only when both host->cmd and host->data are NULL: if (host->cmd == NULL && host->data == NULL) { ... return IRQ_NONE; } So we may legitimately reach the rest of the handler with host->data == NULL (and therefore data == NULL). The DATDNE branch already guards against this with an explicit "if (data != NULL)" check, but the subsequent TOUTRD ("read data timeout") and CRCWR/CRCRD ("data CRC error") branches dereference data unconditionally: if (qstatus & MMCST0_TOUTRD) { data->error = -ETIMEDOUT; <-- NULL deref ... davinci_abort_data(host, data); } if (qstatus & (MMCST0_CRCWR | MMCST0_CRCRD)) { data->error = -EILSEQ; <-- NULL deref ... } If either bit is set in qstatus while host->data is NULL, the kernel will crash inside the IRQ handler. smatch flags this: drivers/mmc/host/davinci_mmc.c:933 mmc_davinci_irq() error: we previously assumed 'data' could be null (see line 914) Gate both branches on a non-NULL data, matching the existing pattern used by the DATDNE branch. No functional change for callers where data is non-NULL, which is the only case in which these branches did meaningful work before this change.

How severe is CVE-2026-97502?

Severity scoring for CVE-2026-97502 is pending analysis.

How do I fix CVE-2026-97502?

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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