CVE-2026-97411

Received Received - Intake

Kernel Hang in IBM EMAC Driver Due to Improper NAPI State Handling

Publication date: 2026-09-24

Last updated on: 2026-10-03

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ibm: emac: mal: fix potential system hang in mal_remove() napi_disable() is not idempotent and calling it on an already-disabled or unenabled NAPI context will cause the kernel to spin indefinitely waiting for the NAPI_STATE_SCHED bit to clear. In mal_remove(), napi_disable() is called unconditionally. If no MACs were registered, NAPI was never enabled. Also, if they were registered but subsequently unregistered, NAPI was already disabled in mal_unregister_commac(). In either case, calling napi_disable() causes the kernel to hang upon module removal. Fix this by only calling napi_disable() in mal_remove() if the commac list is not empty (which implies NAPI is enabled).

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-24

Last Modified

2026-10-03

Generated

2026-10-15

AI Q&A

2026-09-24

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-13

NVD

CVE-2026-97411

EUVD

EUVD-2026-86024

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
ibm	emac	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is in the Linux kernel's IBM EMAC network driver. It involves a potential system hang when removing the mal module. The issue occurs because napi_disable() is called unconditionally in mal_remove(), even when NAPI was never enabled or already disabled. This causes the kernel to spin indefinitely waiting for a bit to clear.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's IBM EMAC driver and may cause a system hang during module removal. Detection requires checking if the affected driver (ibm_emac) is loaded and if the system experiences hangs during module unloading. No direct network detection commands are applicable.

Impact Analysis

If you use a system with the affected IBM EMAC driver, removing the module could cause the entire system to hang. This would require a reboot to recover, potentially leading to downtime and data loss.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability causes a kernel hang during module removal, which could lead to system instability or denial of service. Such disruptions may impact compliance with standards requiring high availability or data processing integrity, such as GDPR's availability principle or HIPAA's access controls.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the kernel patch that modifies mal_remove() to conditionally call napi_disable() only when the commac list is not empty. Avoid unloading the ibm_emac module unless necessary. Monitor system logs for hangs during module removal.

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