CVE-2026-23368
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. An AB-BA deadlock can occur within the net: phy subsystem when registering LED triggers. This vulnerability arises because LED_TRIGGER_PHY attempts to acquire the rtnl_mutex and then triggers_list_lock, while LEDS_TRIGGER_NETDEV acquires these locks in the reverse order. This conflicting lock acquisition sequence can lead to a system hang, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).
Statement
This deadlock requires both LEDS_TRIGGER_NETDEV and LED_TRIGGER_PHY kernel configurations to be enabled simultaneously. The issue triggers during PHY attachment when a user concurrently writes to an LED trigger sysfs file. In practice, this is an uncommon configuration combination and requires specific timing to reproduce, limiting the practical impact.
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 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: 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: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Other); DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
Each thread of execution will "hang" and prevent tasks from completing. In some cases, CPU consumption may occur if a lock check occurs in a tight loop.
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