CVE-2026-23042
Description
From CVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: idpf: fix aux device unplugging when rdma is not supported by vport If vport flags do not contain VIRTCHNL2_VPORT_ENABLE_RDMA, driver does not allocate vdev_info for this vport. This leads to kernel NULL pointer dereference in idpf_idc_vport_dev_down(), which references vdev_info for every vport regardless. Check, if vdev_info was ever allocated before unplugging aux device.
Statement
The idpf driver can hit a NULL pointer dereference when unplugging the RDMA auxiliary device for a vport that does not support RDMA. If the vport flags do not include VIRTCHNL2_VPORT_ENABLE_RDMA then vdev_info is never allocated. The teardown path idpf_idc_vport_dev_down still assumes vdev_info exists and dereferences it which can crash the kernel. For the CVSS the PR is L in the paranoid score because some deployments delegate network administration to containers or services that can trigger device reset or teardown paths. In typical systems PR is H because driver unload and device management are administrator operations. The issue is not network reachable. Impact is denial of service via kernel crash.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
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