CVE Intelligence
Unknown

CVE-2026-81005 — ipmi: si: Fix NULL pointer dereference after failed registration

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipmi: si: Fix NULL pointer dereference after failed registration try_smi_init() allocates new_smi->si_sm and later calls ipmi_register_smi_mod(), which maps to ipmi_add_smi(). During ipmi_add_smi(), the upper IPMI message handler obtains the initial BMC device information through __bmc_get_device_id(). This can fail if the BMC does not return a successful response to the Get Device ID command. When the BMC returns a nonzero completion code, the device-id helper retries the command and eventually returns -EIO if the device ID still cannot be fetched. On this failure path, ipmi_add_smi() logs "Unable to get the device id" and goes to out_err_started, where it invokes the lower driver's shutdown callback. try_smi_init() then logs the returned registration failure: ipmi_si IPI0001:00: IPMI message handler: Unable to get the device id: -5 ipmi_si IPI0001:00: Unable to register device: error -5 For ipmi_si, the shutdown callback is shutdown_smi(), which cleans up the SI state machine data, frees smi_info->si_sm, and sets smi_info->si_sm and smi_info->intf to NULL. However, intf->in_shutdown is not set on this failed-registration rollback path. Therefore, the asynchronous redo_bmc_reg work item can still retry BMC device-id probing after the lower driver has already cleared its SI state machine data. In the observed case, that retry path reached start_next_msg(), which passed the NULL smi_info->si_sm pointer to the selected KCS state machine handler: BUG: unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at 0000000000000000 Workqueue: events redo_bmc_reg [ipmi_msghandler] RIP: start_kcs_transaction+0x2c/0x190 [ipmi_si] Call Trace: start_next_msg+0x50/0x80 [ipmi_si] check_start_timer_thread.part.9+0x3b/0x50 [ipmi_si] sender+0x69/0x80 [ipmi_si] i_ipmi_request+0x2ac/0x9d0 [ipmi_msghandler] __get_device_id.isra.29+0xaa/0x180 [ipmi_msghandler] __bmc_get_device_id+0xef/0x950 [ipmi_msghandler] redo_bmc_reg+0x52/0x60 [ipmi_msghandler] process_one_work+0x1a7/0x360 Set intf->in_shutdown on the out_err_started path before invoking the lower driver's shutdown callback. This prevents later redo_bmc_reg retries from using an interface whose lower driver state has been cleaned up, and applies the same shutdown state to other IPMI interfaces as well.

Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Oct 19, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: Linux

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+1

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.18%
ahead of 7% of scored CVEs · Oct 23, 2026
Affects
Linux
Linux
CVSS base
—
Score not published yet.

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Linux Linux).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Linux Linux ≥ 2512e40e48d21d8bac09f7e91d2c3ceb2d3b50b2 and < 75ecc80ef0614a9f8441ab476fb748d3e919bea8≥ 2512e40e48d21d8bac09f7e91d2c3ceb2d3b50b2 and < b11a1e545ad7a2f8f9ba7276b4ae9429c3399456≥ 2512e40e48d21d8bac09f7e91d2c3ceb2d3b50b2 and < f390b0e781ca689515b659f94ef05f01497ed833≥ 2512e40e48d21d8bac09f7e91d2c3ceb2d3b50b2 and < d377bf743f29b41729a084a633874ef9c1a13c6a≥ 2512e40e48d21d8bac09f7e91d2c3ceb2d3b50b2 and < d4be659a3e56f4eb16039ab8a1162efea086a714≥ 2512e40e48d21d8bac09f7e91d2c3ceb2d3b50b2 and < 53af3a8bae0a93c1342e1b5519812203332aca8e≥ 2512e40e48d21d8bac09f7e91d2c3ceb2d3b50b2 and < 8ada17dd4c4ffd6b94621e735d77eda196ce118f≥ 2512e40e48d21d8bac09f7e91d2c3ceb2d3b50b2 and < 6d920a75df9a83ab096b3cde7a643b656e4fdfeb
and 3 more version 288bd736c8a027040fc261c86a87b65e7bc3f6fa≥ 4.18.10 and < 4.19version 4.19
Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 15, 2026 → Oct 23, 2026 · 8 reading(s) · max 0.18%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Not enough vector or weakness data: use the affected application’s logs as a starting point.
application logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Record published
    Oct 15, 2026
  • Affected products added · linux/linux
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Source status changed · → Received
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Sep 11, 2026 · Linux

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× References added · Oct 19, 2026 – Oct 19, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

10 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Linux
every CVE for this vendor

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-99086 dm-integrity: validate the superblock on resume 1d
  • CVE-2026-99087 dm-integrity: fix NULL pointer dereference when the 'R' flag is used 1d
  • CVE-2026-99080 fs: Free any excess xarray nodes in clear_inode() 1d
  • CVE-2026-99084 readdir: take no inode lock on an immutable directory 1d
  • CVE-2026-99085 sched_ext: Fix CPU hotplug hang when a dying CPU's tasks sit in the BPF scheduler 1d
  • CVE-2026-99079 net/mlx5e: Prevent stale XSK buffer release on refill retry 1d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No CVSS score published by NVD, the CNA, CISA or GitHub so far.
  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No CISA SSVC assessment.
  • No CWE classification.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-81005 is "ipmi: si: Fix NULL pointer dereference after failed registration", rated Unknown. It affects Linux (Linux); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. EPSS 0.18% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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