CVE-2026-23258
Memory Leak in Linux Kernel liquidio Driver Due to Improper netdev Initialization
Publication date: 2026-03-18
Last updated on: 2026-03-18
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
| Probability: | |
| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| liquidio | linux_kernel | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's liquidio network driver. During the setup of network interface devices in the function setup_nic_devices(), a network device structure (netdev) is allocated but not properly initialized before setting up transmit and receive queues.
If the queue setup functions fail, the allocated netdev pointer remains NULL in the device properties, preventing the cleanup function from freeing the allocated memory. This results in a memory leak.
The fix involves initializing the netdev pointer before calling the queue setup functions to ensure proper cleanup in case of errors.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can lead to a memory leak in the Linux kernel's liquidio network driver. If the queue setup fails, allocated memory for network devices is not freed properly.
Over time, this memory leak could degrade system performance or stability, potentially causing resource exhaustion or crashes in systems using the affected driver.
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:
I don't know
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
I don't know
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
The vulnerability is caused by improper initialization of the netdev pointer before queue setup in the liquidio driver, leading to a potential memory leak.
To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version where this issue is fixed, ensuring that the netdev pointer is initialized before calling netif_set_real_num_rx_queues() and netif_set_real_num_tx_queues().