CVE-2026-98016

Received Received - Intake

Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel's mlx5e Driver

Publication date: 2026-09-25

Last updated on: 2026-10-03

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Fix use-after-free race in sample_restore_put() Concurrent teardown of TC sample rules sharing the same restore context may re-read restore->count after dropping restore_lock. At that point another thread may already have completed cleanup and freed the restore object. Use the result of the refcount decrement while holding restore_lock to determine whether cleanup is needed.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-25

Last Modified

2026-10-03

Generated

2026-10-15

AI Q&A

2026-09-25

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-14

NVD

CVE-2026-98016

EUVD

EUVD-2026-86669

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a use-after-free race condition in the Linux kernel's mlx5e driver. It occurs during the teardown of TC sample rules that share the same restore context. The issue arises when concurrent operations may re-read a counter after dropping a lock, allowing another thread to free the restore object before cleanup completes.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves a use-after-free race condition in the Linux kernel's mlx5e driver related to TC sample rules. Detection requires checking kernel logs for crashes or errors related to mlx5e or TC sample rules. Commands like dmesg | grep mlx5e or journalctl -k | grep mlx5e may help identify issues. Ensure your kernel is updated to a patched version.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to system crashes or unexpected behavior due to memory corruption. If exploited, it may cause denial-of-service conditions or privilege escalation in systems using the affected Linux kernel component.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a use-after-free race condition in the Linux kernel's network subsystem, specifically in the mlx5e driver. It does not directly relate to data protection or privacy standards like GDPR or HIPAA, as it involves kernel memory management in network traffic handling rather than data storage or processing.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve the use-after-free race condition in the mlx5e driver.

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