CVE-2026-97973
kernel: net: macb: destroy the phylink instance on the probe error path
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. When device initialization fails during the probing process, the error-handling path fails to properly release an allocated physical link (phylink) structure. A local user capable of triggering repeated probe failures could exploit this flaw to cause a memory leak, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and a denial of service (DoS).
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-772 · Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime