CVE-2026-97982
Received Received - Intake

NAPI Budget Accounting Flaw in Linux Kernel

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: net: ethernet: cortina: Fix budget accounting The gmac_rx() function returns the remaining NAPI budget, but its caller treats the return value as the number of packets received. An idle poll therefore reports a full budget and remains scheduled. Return the number of received packets instead. Preserve the existing free queue refill accounting by adding that count directly; continuing to subtract it from the budget would invert the refill behavior.

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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-2026-97982
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86636

Affected Vendors & Products

Currently, no data is known.

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves incorrect handling of the NAPI budget in the gmac_rx() function. The function returns the remaining budget instead of the number of packets received, causing the system to misinterpret idle polling and keep the process unnecessarily scheduled.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's Cortina GMAC network driver. Detection requires checking the kernel version and the presence of the affected driver. Use commands like 'uname -a' to check the kernel version and 'lsmod | grep cortina' to verify if the driver is loaded.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability may lead to inefficient CPU usage and reduced network performance due to improper budget accounting in the network driver. Systems using the affected Cortina Ethernet driver could experience degraded network throughput or increased latency.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to a patched version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. Monitor vendor advisories for kernel updates and apply them promptly. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling the Cortina GMAC driver if not in use.

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