Kernel panic via unchecked PCS error pointer
Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Sep 11, 2026
Invalid-pointer dereference in Linux 6.14 allows attackers to cause a kernel panic through an error-valued PCS selection. The phylink_inband_caps() path checks the mac_select_pcs() result only for NULL, then phylink_pcs_inband_caps() dereferences ops even when that result is an encoded error pointer. Triggering requires a network MAC driver whose PCS callback returns an error during in-band capability discovery; the documented consequence is a kernel panic.
Summary
What happened
Invalid-pointer dereference in Linux 6.14 allows attackers to cause a kernel panic through an error-valued PCS selection. The phylink_inband_caps() path checks the mac_select_pcs() result only for NULL, then phylink_pcs_inband_caps() dereferences ops even when that result is an encoded error pointer. Triggering requires a network MAC driver whose PCS callback returns an error during in-band capability discovery; the documented consequence is a kernel panic.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-80993
- Published
- Sep 11, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=6.14
- Affected versionversion=df874f9e52c340cc6f0a0014a97b778f67d46849 <b6b533f83461c3730875cf3ed5ff6362dcb67be9
- Affected versionversion=df874f9e52c340cc6f0a0014a97b778f67d46849 <f2849b1fd059ec9b3281b771e6ac5aad9feee851
- Affected versionversion=df874f9e52c340cc6f0a0014a97b778f67d46849 <fb4d77553841ae85bed9b2cf03351c401e871d85
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What is affected?
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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