CVE-2026-98796: net: ethernet: mtk_eth_soc: allocate dummy netdev sooner
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 0/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.16% (FIRST EPSS).
- Fixed version: Linux Linux 17eafd74de5a31e30361420a2e3ebf64186b77e5, 42001839e425b2564b7297be579073a13a8fddf6, 6f0c2c4f5e7143eba75153ecc8af3a03f7b6a98b; azl3 kernel 6.6.157.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 17eafd74de5a31e30361420a2e3ebf64186b77e5, 42001839e425b2564b7297be579073a13a8fddf6, 6f0c2c4f5e7143eba75153ecc8af3a03f7b6a98b; azl3 kernel 6.6.157.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ethernet: mtk_eth_soc: allocate dummy netdev sooner The RX rings and the shared NAPI are carried by an internal "dummy" netdev (eth->dummy_dev). mtk_probe() creates that dummy device, and adds the shared tx/rx NAPI to it, only after the MAC netdevs have been registered. That order has been there since the MT7623 support was added and leaves a window in which the netdevs are visible to the network core before the shared NAPI and the dummy device exist. If anything brings the first netdev up during that window (e.g. netifd opening the WAN link the instant the interface is registered), the first-open path runs without them. On NETSYS v2 and later SoCs mtk_rx_alloc() -> __xdp_rxq_info_reg() then dereferences eth->dummy_dev == NULL: WARNING: CPU: ... Missing net_device from driver in net/core/xdp.c and mtk_open() fails with -ENODEV. On NETSYS v1 SoCs (MT7621/MT7622/MT7623/MT7629) there is no page pool, so the same open instead calls napi_enable() on a napi_struct that netif_napi_add() has not initialised yet and dereferences a NULL napi->dev. Allocate the dummy netdev and add the shared tx/rx NAPI to it before the register_netdev() loop. Both the dummy-allocation failure and a register_netdev() failure now unwind through mtk_unreg_dev(), which unregisters the net_device notifiers and the netdevs registered so far, stopping a concurrently-opened netdev (ndo_stop) and its NAPI before the dummy carrier is freed. A netdev that opened during the window can also have queued the frame-engine reset worker (via the tx watchdog or phylink), so the probe error path now cancels eth->pending_work before freeing the shared state, as mtk_cleanup() already does on remove.
- Published
- Oct 18, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.1% · 6th percentile
- CWE
- —
Report tools
Action score
0
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 0 / 40 · —
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.1%
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
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Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Linux Linux
- 4.6affected
- 656e705243fd0c2864b89634ea16ed444ef64dc6 and later · before efc91ab1d97bd991faf50baa0ead35029f341eb9affected · git
- 656e705243fd0c2864b89634ea16ed444ef64dc6 and later · before 42001839e425b2564b7297be579073a13a8fddf6affected · git
- 656e705243fd0c2864b89634ea16ed444ef64dc6 and later · before 82be3d08de9e14d5aed72377f051adb4f09fd540affected · git
- 656e705243fd0c2864b89634ea16ed444ef64dc6 and later · before 17eafd74de5a31e30361420a2e3ebf64186b77e5affected · git
- 656e705243fd0c2864b89634ea16ed444ef64dc6 and later · before 6f0c2c4f5e7143eba75153ecc8af3a03f7b6a98baffected · git
- before 4.6not affected · semver
- 6.6.160 and later · up to and including 6.6.*not affected · semver
- 6.12.113 and later · up to and including 6.12.*not affected · semver
- 6.18.56 and later · up to and including 6.18.*not affected · semver
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | linux | from 0 | — |
| Debian:12 | linux-6.12 | before 6.12.113-1~deb12u1 | 6.12.113-1~deb12u1 |
| Debian:13 | linux | before 6.12.113-1 | 6.12.113-1 |
| Debian:14 | linux | before 7.2.10-1 | 7.2.10-1 |
Same product
linux: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2026-74705udp: fix potential use-after-free in tunnel segmentation40Plan
- CVE-2026-74612veth: fix skb length accounting after XDP frag adjustment40Plan
- CVE-2026-74475vxlan: use neigh_ha_snapshot() in route_shortcircuit()40Plan
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-98794Oct 18, 2026 · ipvs: filter some flags received in the backup server0Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-98795Oct 18, 2026 · net: sparx5: skip ptp deinit if init was skipped0Monitor
- Later →CVE-2026-98797Oct 18, 2026 · net: cap skb->queue_mapping when the tx queue is picked0Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Linux Linux | 17eafd74de5a31e30361420a2e3ebf64186b77e5 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | 42001839e425b2564b7297be579073a13a8fddf6 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | 6f0c2c4f5e7143eba75153ecc8af3a03f7b6a98b | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | 82be3d08de9e14d5aed72377f051adb4f09fd540 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Linux Linux | efc91ab1d97bd991faf50baa0ead35029f341eb9 | Vendor (CNA) |
| azl3 kernel 6.6.157.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 | Release Notes | Microsoft (MSRC) |
| debian:linux | 6.12.113-1 · Debian:13 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:linux-6.12 | 6.12.113-1~deb12u1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Published
- Fix recordedsame day
- TodayNov 6, 2026+19 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
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Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
No CVSS vector for this record, so attack conditions can't be derived.
Weakness class (CWE)
—
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Exploit maturity— → none
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (4 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.