CVE-2026-97978
Received Received - Intake

Pointer Dereference in Linux Kernel Ice Driver

Publication date: 2026-09-25

Last updated on: 2026-09-25

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eth: ice: don't dereference pointers from TP_printk() After forwarding net-next during the v7.3 merge window we started seeing: TRACE EVENT ERROR: Event ice_tx_dim_work has double dereference in TP_printk: REC->q_vector->tx.tx_ring->q_index WARNING: kernel/trace/trace_events.c:420 at test_double_dereference.cold+0x39/0x4b this is due to extra checks added in tracing subsystem in commit b5cc230af5e5 ("tracing: Warn when an event dereferences a pointer in TP_printk()"). Printing happens long after the event was recorded, by which point the pointers may be invalid (the ring or the dim instance). Copy the eight scalars into the event instead.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-25
Last Modified
2026-09-25
Generated
2026-09-25
AI Q&A
2026-09-25
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-97978
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86632

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 vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a trace event in the ice driver where pointers from TP_printk() are dereferenced unsafely. The issue occurs because the tracing subsystem added checks to warn when an event dereferences a pointer in TP_printk(). The pointers may become invalid by the time the event is printed, as the ring or dim instance could be freed or changed.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is related to kernel tracing and does not have direct network or system detection commands. It may be detected through kernel logs showing warnings about double dereferencing in TP_printk() for the ice_tx_dim_work event. Check kernel logs with: dmesg | grep -i 'TP_printk\|double dereference\|ice_tx_dim_work'.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to kernel warnings or errors when tracing events in the ice driver. It may cause system instability or crashes if invalid memory is accessed during trace printing. Users relying on kernel tracing for debugging could experience unexpected behavior.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to a patched version that resolves this issue. Since the vulnerability is fixed in a specific kernel version, apply the latest stable kernel update from your distribution. Monitor kernel logs for related warnings after updating.

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