CVE-2026-23035

Kernel crash via invalid mlx5e teardown state

Published Jan 31, 2026 · Updated Jan 31, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel mlx5e driver allows local users to crash the kernel during a devlink device reload. After profile attachment failure clears the unstable mlx5e_priv structure, mlx5e_remove continues cleanup through invalid private state instead of a valid netdev. The path requires privileges to change mlx5 eswitch mode, a failed profile change and rollback, and a subsequent reload; the bounded result is a kernel oops and service interruption.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel mlx5e driver allows local users to crash the kernel during a devlink device reload. After profile attachment failure clears the unstable mlx5e_priv structure, mlx5e_remove continues cleanup through invalid private state instead of a valid netdev. The path requires privileges to change mlx5 eswitch mode, a failed profile change and rollback, and a subsequent reload; the bounded result is a kernel oops and service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23035
Published
Jan 31, 2026
Updated
Jan 31, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 31, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 31, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=5.12
  2. Affected versionversion=c4d7eb57687f358cd498ea3624519236af8db97e <4ef8512e1427111f7ba92b4a847d181ff0aeec42
  3. Affected versionversion=c4d7eb57687f358cd498ea3624519236af8db97e <66a25f6b7c0bfd84e6d27b536f5d24116dbd52da
  4. Affected versionversion=c4d7eb57687f358cd498ea3624519236af8db97e <a7625bacaa8c8c2bfcde6dd6d1397bd63ad82b02

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=5.12; version=c4d7eb57687f358cd498ea3624519236af8db97e <4ef8512e1427111f7ba92b4a847d181ff0aeec42; version=c4d7eb57687f358cd498ea3624519236af8db97e <66a25f6b7c0bfd84e6d27b536f5d24116dbd52da; version=c4d7eb57687f358cd498ea3624519236af8db97e <a7625bacaa8c8c2bfcde6dd6d1397bd63ad82b02

Published CVSS scores

6.8SUSECVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
5.5SUSECVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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