Unknown

CVE-2026-98008 — net: macb: fix NULL pointer dereference on unbind with fixed-link

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: macb: fix NULL pointer dereference on unbind with fixed-link When the device tree describes a fixed-link and has no "mdio" child node, macb_mii_init() returns early without allocating the MDIO bus, leaving bp->mii_bus as NULL. Two cleanup paths then dereference this NULL bus: 1. On driver unbind, macb_remove() unconditionally calls mdiobus_unregister(bp->mii_bus), which oopses: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000000000004a8 pc : mdiobus_unregister+0x14/0xa4 lr : macb_remove+0x38/0xa4 Call trace: mdiobus_unregister+0x14/0xa4 (P) macb_remove+0x38/0xa4 platform_remove+0x20/0x30 device_release_driver_internal+0x1c8/0x224 unbind_store+0xb4/0xbc 2. On the probe error path in macb_probe(), reached when macb_mii_init() has succeeded but a subsequent step fails, the err_out_unregister_mdio label runs the same unconditional cleanup. mdiobus_unregister() and mdiobus_free() do not guard against a NULL bus, so guard the calls in both macb_remove() and the probe error path.

Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: Linux

Low

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

0.17%

ahead of 6% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026

Affects

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.

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

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
Linux	Linux	≥ 831e19e565b5210930fa183730071f8290c61263 and < afa224cabc0132ca414b9141b1a919ca2d318cd0≥ 81db1e52848694761a1aa162ce76198af9964ed8 and < 054ad8e66025eb4778d840bef80c270646cebcd2≥ d0c3601f2c4e12e7689b0f46ebc17525250ea8c3 and < f737d999fcb8f276d77b01ea4c2016ee01dad19b≥ d0c3601f2c4e12e7689b0f46ebc17525250ea8c3 and < 5710f6a74f63cbba0e15cd75917234916181c9d4≥ d0c3601f2c4e12e7689b0f46ebc17525250ea8c3 and < edb39c7666bb3924da761dfb417db85c1e5d8ad3≥ d0c3601f2c4e12e7689b0f46ebc17525250ea8c3 and < 38b6be101006d3e7af972999f45d4f1e8250587aversion cafa5942bd2df3d80e3eeb2deb4bc050f7761f3dversion c81dcaa9cd0b66816c2ecb6c5df0b6afde9c7da5 and 7 more version 19088c5378c9fea54e552d8bc7418a3aa1e06990≥ 6.1.114 and < 6.1.189≥ 6.6.58 and < 6.6.158≥ 5.10.228 and < 5.11≥ 5.15.169 and < 5.16≥ 6.11.5 and < 6.12version 6.12	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

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 25, 2026 · Linux

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

6 on the record

git.kernel.org/stable/c/5710f6a74f63cbba0e15cd75917234916181c9d4
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/afa224cabc0132ca414b9141b1a919ca2d318cd0
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/f737d999fcb8f276d77b01ea4c2016ee01dad19b
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/38b6be101006d3e7af972999f45d4f1e8250587a
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/edb39c7666bb3924da761dfb417db85c1e5d8ad3
NIST National Vulnerability Database
git.kernel.org/stable/c/054ad8e66025eb4778d840bef80c270646cebcd2
NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Linux
every CVE for this vendor

Related CVEs (same products)

Critical CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 1d
Unknown CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 1d
Unknown CVE-2026-98431 RDMA/uverbs: Fix mmap_lock/disassociation_lock circular dependency 2d
Unknown CVE-2026-98430 RDMA/efa: Keep admin queues alive while IRQ is registered 2d
Unknown CVE-2026-98429 RDMA/efa: Keep EQ resources alive while IRQ is registered 2d
Unknown CVE-2026-98428 ALSA: usb: 6fire: Avoid embedded URBs 2d

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-2026-98008 is "net: macb: fix NULL pointer dereference on unbind with fixed-link", 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 0.17% 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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