Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2026-46249: Linux Kernel octeontx2-af driver crash during kexec reboot

CVE-2026-46249 · Severity: info · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-06-03

Technologies: Linux Kernel. Vendors: Linux.

Executive brief

A vulnerability in the Marvell OcteonTX2 network driver for Linux can cause a system crash during a specific type of reboot known as kexec. This occurs because the hardware state from the previous session is not properly cleared, leading the system to attempt to access invalid memory or hardware configurations. This issue primarily impacts system availability, potentially causing unexpected downtime during administrative maintenance or automated reboots.

Technical details

A vulnerability in the octeontx2-af driver arises during kexec reboots because the hardware is not power-cycled, allowing Admin Function (AF) state to persist. If the AF and Physical Function (PF) drivers are built as modules, the PF driver may probe before the AF driver has finished reinitializing the hardware. The PF driver incorrectly uses the RVUM block revision as a readiness indicator; if this value is not cleared during the previous shutdown, the PF driver attempts to access stale hardware state, resulting in a kernel panic/crash. The fix involves explicitly clearing the RVUM block revision during the AF driver's shutdown sequence. This is a local availability issue requiring the ability to trigger a kexec reboot.

Affected products

  • Linux Linux Kernel versions prior to 6.13.2, 6.12.13, 6.11.11, 6.6.76, 6.1.128, 5.15.178, 5.10.234

Timeline

  • 2026-02-03: patched: Initial patch submitted by Marvell engineers.
  • 2026-06-03: disclosed: CVE-2026-46249 published.

References