Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2026-68291

None

CVSS

—

EPSS

0.2%

Published

Aug 10, 2026

CISA due date

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Cloudanix analysis

Schedule a fix SSVC: Track

A flaw in a Linux network driver can make the computer crash when it runs out of memory while starting up, forcing restarts that interrupt network service.

Exploitation
Local Privilege
Attacker needs
Local User
Complexity
Moderate
Impact
Denial Of Service
Component
OS kernel
Class
Memory Corruption
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

Improper initialization order in the idpf network driver sets adapter->max_vports before successful allocation of vports, netdevs and vport_config buffers, resulting in a NULL pointer dereference in idpf_remove on subsequent reset or rmmod after an allocation failure during init.

Why it matters to the business

Kernel crashes and system instability occur when the idpf driver encounters resource allocation errors at startup, disrupting network connectivity and requiring reboots or module reloads that can interrupt operations.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access or control over resource conditions triggers an allocation failure during idpf device initialization, leaving internal structures in an inconsistent state; later driver removal or hardware reset then dereferences a NULL pointer and crashes the kernel.

How to fix it

Apply the kernel patch that moves the assignment of adapter->max_vports to occur only after all vport, netdev and vport_config allocations succeed; rebuild and deploy updated kernel images containing the corrected initialization sequence.

How to confirm the fix worked

Inspect the idpf driver source to confirm max_vports assignment follows successful buffer allocations; simulate allocation failures during init and verify that rmmod or reset no longer produces a NULL dereference oops.

Typical attack path

  1. Cause allocation failure during idpf initialization (resource exhaustion or error injection)
  2. Trigger driver detach, rmmod, or PCI device removal
  3. Execute idpf_remove which dereferences uninitialized pointers

How to detect it

Search kernel logs and dmesg output for the signature of idpf_remove NULL pointer dereference (RIP containing idpf_remove and address 0000000000000000) occurring after device initialization or HW reset messages.

What your security team should do

  • Prioritize deployment of kernels containing the idpf initialization fix
  • Monitor kernel logs for idpf-related NULL pointer dereference oops
  • Test driver load/unload paths under memory pressure in staging environments

The record

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: idpf: fix max_vport related crash on allocation error during init Set adapter->max_vports only after successful allocation of vports, netdevs and vport_config buffers. This fixes possible crashes on reset or rmmod, following failed allocation on init [ 305.981402] idpf 0000:83:00.0: enabling device (0100 -> 0102) [ 305.994464] idpf 0000:83:00.0: Device HW Reset initiated [ 320.416872] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 [ 320.416918] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode [ 320.416942] #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page [ 320.416963] PGD 2099657067 P4D 0 [ 320.416983] Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI ... [ 320.417093] RIP: 0010:idpf_remove+0x118/0x200 [idpf] [ 320.417130] Code: 8b bb 98 09 00 00 e8 17 0f 5b e5 48 8b bb e8 08 00 00 e8 0b 0f 5b e5 66 83 bb 28 06 00 00 00 48 8b bb 20 06 00 00 74 49 31 ed <48> 8b 04 ef 48 85 c0 74 2f 48 8b 78 20 e8 66 58 91 e5 48 8b 83 20 [ 320.417183] RSP: 0018:ff7322212903fdb8 EFLAGS: 00010246 [ 320.417205] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ff4463de40300000 RCX: ff7322212903fd4c [ 320.417228] RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: ffffffffa7f7d100 RDI: 0000000000000000 [ 320.417250] RBP: 0000000000000000 R08: 0000000000000001 R09: 0000000000000000 [ 320.417272] R10: 0000000000000001 R11: ff4463de3a638f58 R12: ff4463be89ac7000 [ 320.417294] R13: ff4463be89ac7198 R14: ff4463be94fc7198 R15: ffffffffc0f10f20 [ 320.417317] FS: 00007f963c0e6740(0000) GS:ff4463fdd65d8000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 320.417342] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 320.417362] CR2: 0000000000000000 CR3: 00000020ba674002 CR4: 0000000000773ef0 [ 320.417385] PKRU: 55555554 [ 320.417398] Call Trace: [ 320.417412] <TASK> [ 320.417429] pci_device_remove+0x42/0xb0 [ 320.417459] device_release_driver_internal+0x1a9/0x210 [ 320.417492] driver_detach+0x4b/0x90 [ 320.417516] bus_remove_driver+0x70/0x100 [ 320.417539] pci_unregister_driver+0x2e/0xb0 [ 320.417564] __do_sys_delete_module.constprop.0+0x190/0x2f0 [ 320.417592] ? kmem_cache_free+0x31e/0x550 [ 320.417619] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0xde/0x190 [ 320.417644] ? do_syscall_64+0x38/0x6b0 [ 320.417665] do_syscall_64+0xc8/0x6b0 [ 320.417683] ? clear_bhb_loop+0x30/0x80 [ 320.417706] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e [ 320.417727] RIP: 0033:0x7f963bb30beb

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed