CVE-2026-97484
Received Received - Intake

USBIP NULL Pointer Dereference in Linux Kernel

Publication date: 2026-09-24

Last updated on: 2026-09-24

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usbip: vhci_hcd: fix NULL deref in status_show_vhci platform_get_drvdata() can return NULL if a VHCI host controller's probe failed (e.g. due to USB bus number exhaustion). status_show_vhci() checked for a NULL pdev but not for a NULL hcd returned by platform_get_drvdata(). Passing NULL to hcd_to_vhci_hcd() does not return NULL - it returns a pointer offset of 0x260, causing a NULL pointer dereference when that value is subsequently dereferenced. Add a NULL check on hcd before calling hcd_to_vhci_hcd(). Move status_show_not_ready() above status_show_vhci() to make it callable from the new error path without a forward declaration.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-24
Last Modified
2026-09-24
Generated
2026-09-24
AI Q&A
2026-09-24
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-97484
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86082

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's USB/IP subsystem. It occurs in the vhci_hcd driver when status_show_vhci() fails to check if platform_get_drvdata() returns NULL after a failed probe. This leads to passing a NULL pointer to hcd_to_vhci_hcd(), which returns a non-NULL offset that later causes a crash when dereferenced.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's USB/IP subsystem and may not have direct network detection methods. Check kernel logs for NULL pointer dereference errors related to usbip or vhci_hcd using commands like dmesg | grep -i 'usbip\|vhci' or journalctl -k | grep -i 'usbip\|vhci'.

Impact Analysis

If you use systems with USB/IP functionality in the Linux kernel, this vulnerability could cause kernel crashes (denial of service) when certain USB devices are accessed. It requires a specific failure condition (probe failure due to USB bus exhaustion) but could lead to system instability if triggered.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest patched version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. Monitor kernel logs for any signs of the issue and ensure USB/IP functionality is not critical if kernel updates are delayed.

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