CVE-2026-97972
kernel: net: macb: put the "mdio" child node reference on success
Severity
ModerateRed Hat Product Security
CVSS 3.1
Review impact separately from score.
Published · September 25, 2026
Updated · September 30, 2026
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Cadence MACB ethernet driver. During network interface initialization, the driver fails to properly release a device tree node reference upon successful registration. Repeated device probe or bind cycles can result in a reference count leak and progressive memory leak, which may lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) due to kernel resource exhaustion.
CVSS score applicability
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.
Mitigation
No mitigation is specified in collected source.
CVSS / CWE
CVSS 3.1 · 5.5CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CWE-911 · Improper Update of Reference Count