CVE-2026-46092

Kernel crash via unchecked upstream bridge

Published May 27, 2026 · Updated May 27, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux Kernel rtw88 PCI driver allows local users to crash a system that probes an 8821CE adapter. The rtw88 PCI probe path passes pci_upstream_bridge()'s NULL result to bridge-specific handling when the adapter resides directly on a root bus. Triggering requires an affected kernel, an RTL8821CE device on that topology, and local access; the bounded consequence is a kernel crash and service interruption.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in the Linux Kernel rtw88 PCI driver allows local users to crash a system that probes an 8821CE adapter. The rtw88 PCI probe path passes pci_upstream_bridge()'s NULL result to bridge-specific handling when the adapter resides directly on a root bus. Triggering requires an affected kernel, an RTL8821CE device on that topology, and local access; the bounded consequence is a kernel crash and service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-46092
Published
May 27, 2026
Updated
May 27, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 27, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 27, 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=24f5e38a13b5ae2b6105cda8bb47c19108e62a9a <eb101d2abdcccb514ca4fccd3b278dd8267374f6
  2. Affected versionversion=5.15.17 <5.16
  3. Affected versionversion=5.16.3 <5.17
  4. Affected versionversion=5.17
  5. Affected versionversion=617339466fda09916c4b4151fa5e6a9c1fdae353
  6. Affected versionversion=f21e8cb927fa9da49490b74ddda3856a828b82d6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=24f5e38a13b5ae2b6105cda8bb47c19108e62a9a <eb101d2abdcccb514ca4fccd3b278dd8267374f6; version=5.15.17 <5.16; version=5.16.3 <5.17; version=5.17; version=617339466fda09916c4b4151fa5e6a9c1fdae353; version=f21e8cb927fa9da49490b74ddda3856a828b82d6

Published CVSS scores

5.5OracleCVSS: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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

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

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo