Executive brief
A vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's network driver for Cadence MACB Ethernet controllers, which are commonly used in embedded systems and industrial controllers like Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500. The issue involves improper handling of network memory buffers during high-traffic scenarios, which can lead to system instability or a crash. An exploit could result in a denial-of-service, disrupting network communications and operational availability.
Technical details
The vulnerability is a kernel panic/instability issue in the macb network driver (drivers/net/ethernet/cadence/macb_main.c). It was introduced by a previous locking fix (commit 6bc8a5098bf4) that resulted in TX SKB freeing being performed with interrupts (IRQs) disabled. The driver incorrectly calls napi_consume_skb() in this context, which is not permitted and triggers a kernel warning/trace in __local_bh_enable_ip. An attacker can potentially trigger this condition via network traffic, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS). The fix replaces the invalid call with dev_consume_skb_any(), which is safe for use in any context.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel 7.0.0-rc4-next-20260319-yocto-standard-dirty
- Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP V3.1.5, V3.1.6
- Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518F-4 PN/DP MFP V3.1.5, V3.1.6
Timeline
- 2026-03-21: patched: Initial patch authored by Kevin Hao
- 2026-04-24: advisory: CVE published to NVD
- 2026-07-14: other: Siemens product impact information added to advisory
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/647b8a2fe474474704110db6bd07f7a139e621eb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/78c8b090a3d5c1689dc989861b0163180db2b3f8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/92e7081f0c79d9073087e54bab745bb184192c2e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/984350b37372f79f71d4f0a5264c640e40daf9ce
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca4d05afb4683d685bb2c6fccae4386c478f524a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f4bc91398b579730284328322365afa77a9d568f
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html