CVE-2026-98429

Received Received - Intake

RDMA EFA Completion IRQ Handler Use-After-Free

Publication date: 2026-10-14

Last updated on: 2026-10-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/efa: Keep EQ resources alive while IRQ is registered The completion IRQ handler accesses the EQ state and DMA buffer. Its IRQ was registered before that state was initialized, while teardown released the buffer before free_irq() synchronized the handler. Initialize the EQ without arming it, register the IRQ, and then arm it. Reverse the resource order during teardown by freeing the IRQ before destroying the EQ.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-14

Last Modified

2026-10-19

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-15

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-18

NVD

CVE-2026-98429

EUVD

EUVD-2026-101078

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
Linux	Linux	2a152512a155aaf27c3e67834ffafaed9525a7b5
Linux	Linux	2a152512a155aaf27c3e67834ffafaed9525a7b5
Linux	Linux	2a152512a155aaf27c3e67834ffafaed9525a7b5
Linux	Linux	2a152512a155aaf27c3e67834ffafaed9525a7b5
Linux	Linux	2a152512a155aaf27c3e67834ffafaed9525a7b5
Linux	Linux	2a152512a155aaf27c3e67834ffafaed9525a7b5
Linux	Linux	5.16

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves improper handling of resources in the RDMA/efa driver. The issue occurs when the completion IRQ handler accesses EQ state and DMA buffer before they are properly initialized or after they are freed. The fix requires initializing the EQ without arming it, registering the IRQ, then arming the EQ. During teardown, the IRQ must be freed before destroying the EQ to prevent use-after-free conditions.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's RDMA/efa driver and requires kernel-level inspection. Detection involves checking kernel logs for related errors or verifying the driver version and configuration. Commands like dmesg, journalctl, or checking the kernel version with uname -a may help identify affected systems.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to system crashes, data corruption, or privilege escalation if exploited. Attackers might trigger the race condition to cause a kernel panic or execute arbitrary code in the kernel context. Systems using affected RDMA/efa drivers are at risk.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or other common standards and regulations. It is a Linux kernel-specific issue related to resource management in RDMA/efa drivers, which does not involve data privacy, security controls, or protected health information handling.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update or patch that resolves this issue. If immediate patching is not possible, disable the RDMA/efa driver if not in use. Monitor kernel logs for errors related to EQ resources or IRQ handling.

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