CVE-2026-23258

A memory leak was found in the Linux kernel's LiquidIO network driver. In setup_nic_devices(), the netdev structure is allocated via alloc_etherdev_mq() but the pointer is stored in oct->props[i].netdev only after queue setup calls. If netif_set_real_num_rx_queues() or netif_set_real_num_tx_queues() fails, the allocated netdev is not freed because liquidio_destroy_nic_device() cannot find it.

This flaw affects systems using Cavium LiquidIO network adapters. The memory leak occurs when queue setup fails during device initialization, which is an uncommon error condition. The issue was discovered via static analysis and code review. While repeated failures could leak memory, this does not lead to crashes, memory corruption, or code execution.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

To mitigate this issue, prevent the liquidio module from being loaded. See https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for instructions.