CVE-2026-98922 — net: emac: move setting of netops to fix crash
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: emac: move setting of netops to fix crash fixes the following crash on driver initialization: |BUG: Kernel NULL pointer dereference on read at 0x00000158 |Faulting instruction address: 0xc0566b40 |Oops: Kernel access of bad area, sig: 11 [#1] |BE PAGE_SIZE=4K PowerPC 44x Platform |Modules linked in: |CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 1 Comm: swapper/0 Tainted: GW 7.3.0-rc3+ #1 |Tainted: [W]=WARN |Hardware name: MyBook Live APM821XX 0x12c41c83 PowerPC 44x Platform |NIP: c0566b40 LR: c05648f8 CTR: c04c1e9c |REGS: c1053a20 TRAP: 0300 Tainted: GW (7.3.0-rc3+) |MSR: 0002b000 <CE,EE,FP,ME> CR: 24008808 XER: 00000000 |DEAR: 00000158 ESR: 00000000 |GPR00: c05648f8 c1053b10 c1063600 c1030000 c5ab3000 00000000 [...] |GPR08: 00000002 00000000 00000000 c1053b40 84002808 00000000 [...] |GPR16: cfffd210 00000002 c0beafcc cfffc960 00000000 c1030644 [...] |GPR24: c0beafbc c1037000 00000000 0000000a 00000000 c1030000 [...] |NIP [c0566b40] phy_link_topo_add_phy+0x2c/0x1d0 |LR [c05648f8] phy_attach_direct+0x1a4/0x368 |Call Trace: |[c1053b10] [c0811e04] klist_put+0x54/0xb4 (unreliable) |[c1053b40] [c05648f8] phy_attach_direct+0x1a4/0x368 |[c1053b70] [c0564ae8] phy_connect_direct+0x2c/0x60 |[c1053b90] [c056c7a8] of_phy_connect+0x50/0x74 |[c1053bc0] [c0572a88] emac_probe+0xd50/0x119c |[c1053c90] [c04cb770] platform_probe+0x74/0xa4 |[c1053cb0] [c04c8f08] really_probe+0x120/0x2b0 |[c1053cd0] [c04c9254] __driver_probe_device+0x1bc/0x1fc |[c1053d00] [c04c9334] driver_probe_device+0x38/0xa8 |[c1053d30] [c04c9560] __driver_attach+0xf4/0x10c |[c1053d50] [c04c6af8] bus_for_each_dev+0x68/0xd0 |[c1053d90] [c04c7c34] bus_add_driver+0xcc/0x1ec |[c1053dc0] [c04c9f6c] driver_register+0xcc/0x110 |[c1053de0] [c0aa3f40] emac_init+0x1c4/0x200 This bug showed up starting with v7.3-rc1. At the NIP in phy_link_topo_add_phy() is a netdev_need_ops_lock() check. This was added by the following commit ded86da4bbb7 ("net: ethtool: relax ethnl_req_get_phydev() locking assertion") The bug shows up because at the time of_phy_connect() was called, the netdev_ops were *not yet* determined. My fix is to move the code that sets netdev_ops+commac.ops+ethtool_ops further up as emac_init_config() derives that by looking at the device-tree and sets the required dev->phy_mode accordingly. During review, the Sashiko bot's AI stated that the commac assignment became a dead store. Great catch! To keep the original behavior as-is, one mentioned option "set dev->commac.ops = &emac_commac_ops only in the non-gige case?" sounded like a great plan. So the dev->commac.ops assignment for the non-gige-case moves into the else block. This patch was tested on a WD MyBook Live (RGMII). the device now works again.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
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.
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.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 24, 2026 → Oct 30, 2026 · 7 reading(s) · max 0.20%
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.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Record published
- Affected products added · linux/linux
- Source status changed · → Received
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× References added · Oct 23, 2026 – Oct 23, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 23, 2026 – Oct 23, 2026
References
2 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Unknown CVE-2026-99216 Drivers: hv: Don't reset VMBus connection state on error/exit paths 3d
- Unknown CVE-2026-99215 power: supply: core: prevent unregistering a power supply while a callback runs 3d
- Unknown CVE-2026-99207 scsi: target: Disable interrupts while holding delayed_cmd_lock 3d
- Unknown CVE-2026-99208 drm/xe/oa: Zero OA buffer at allocation 3d
- Unknown CVE-2026-99209 drm/xe: skip eviction of a BO with no resource 3d
- Unknown CVE-2026-99210 accel/rocket: clear rdev on device init failure 3d
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-2026-98922 is "net: emac: move setting of netops to fix crash", 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 0.16% 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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