CVE-2026-98693

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Thunderbolt driver. A physically proximate user or local attacker could trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) and crash the system by disconnecting a device or unbinding the driver while DisplayPort tunnel operations are still active. This issue occurs because the driver fails to maintain proper router reference counts during connection routing, allowing device structures to be freed prematurely while background tasks are still running. When the remaining tasks complete, cleanup operations attempt to access already freed memory, leading to memory corruption and kernel instability.

This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact for Red Hat Enterprise Linux because exploitation requires privileged local access to unbind kernel drivers or physical access to unplug active Thunderbolt peripherals, limiting the threat scope primarily to denial of service. Systems without Thunderbolt or USB4 hardware interfaces are unaffected by default, as the corresponding driver is not engaged. In typical enterprise server deployments, restricted physical access and the lack of hot-plugged Thunderbolt displays further reduce the likelihood of real-world exploitation.

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.