Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2026-53289: Linux kernel NULL pointer dereference in ice_reset_all_vfs

CVE-2026-53289 · Severity: info · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-06-26

Vendors: Linux.

Executive brief

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Intel 'ice' network driver can cause a system crash (kernel panic) during specific hardware maintenance tasks, such as firmware updates. When the driver attempts to reset multiple virtual network interfaces simultaneously and encounters a hardware error, it fails to properly handle the failure, leading to a system-wide shutdown. This primarily impacts system availability and can disrupt operations on servers using Intel E800 series network adapters.

Technical details

A NULL pointer dereference exists in the Linux kernel 'ice' driver within the ice_reset_all_vfs() function. The root cause is the function's failure to check the return value of ice_vf_rebuild_vsi(). If the VSI rebuild fails (common during NVM firmware updates when the firmware is in a transitional state), the driver tears down the VSI but continues to call ice_vf_post_vsi_rebuild(). This leads to a crash in ice_ena_vf_q_mappings() when it attempts to access uninitialized txq_map or rxq_map pointers. An attacker with sufficient privileges to trigger network interface resets or firmware updates could cause a Denial of Service (DoS). The fix involves validating the rebuild return value and skipping post-rebuild steps on failure.

Affected products

  • Linux Linux kernel ice driver Fixed in 1e9185b, 3ad2471, 429024f, 4c2ac52, 54ef024, acc76b9

Timeline

  • 2026-04-27: other: Patch authored by Petr Oros
  • 2026-05-23: patched: Commits merged into stable branches
  • 2026-06-26: advisory: CVE-2026-53289 published

References