CVE-2026-97572
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Broadcom NetXtreme (bnxt_en) network driver. This flaw can result in a Denial of Service (DoS) or memory corruption when the device is initialized or reset under low-memory conditions. The driver ignores memory allocation errors during receive ring buffer setup and continues enabling packet processing over uninitialized memory structures. Consequently, subsequent network traffic can trigger invalid Direct Memory Access (DMA) operations using zeroed addresses, leading to kernel memory corruption and a system crash.
Statement
A moderate severity flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Broadcom NetXtreme (bnxt_en) network driver, affecting the kernel packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 (ELS), 8, 9, and 10, Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System, and OpenShift 4 and 5. During device initialization or reset, bnxt_init_nic() discards the error return value of bnxt_init_rx_rings() and proceeds to enable Transparent Packet Aggregation (TPA) even when a receive ring allocation has failed. If an allocation fails under low-memory conditions, the rx_tpa[] array can remain partially zeroed while TPA is enabled, and subsequent network traffic can translate an aggregation index into a zeroed entry, handing out a zeroed DMA address. This can lead to kernel memory corruption and a system crash (denial of service). Exploitation requires local access and conditions in which receive ring buffer allocation fails, such as memory pressure during interface initialization or reset; confidentiality and integrity are not impacted. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Extended Lifecycle Support is not affected because the vulnerable code is not present in that stream. The fix is deferred for the affected streams because the issue is of moderate severity, requires a local allocation failure to trigger, and impacts availability only; the residual risk is a kernel crash or memory corruption on systems using Broadcom NetXtreme network hardware. Red Hat rates this flaw Moderate with CVSS 5.5 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
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,Integrity
Technical Impact: Unexpected State; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
An unexpected return value could place the system in a state that could lead to a crash or other unintended behaviors.
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