CVE Catalog

CVE-2026-98688

Low risk· EPSS 4%
Published: Updated: Translated: NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Low risk
0.16%

4th percentile - higher than 4% of all known CVEs

Summary

In the Linux kernel Thunderbolt subsystem, a race between tb_remove_work() and tb_domain_remove() leads to a NULL pointer dereference of tb->root_switch inside tb_free_unplugged_xdomains(). The issue stems from incorrectly moving the tb_free_unplugged_xdomains() call outside the tb->lock section without checking whether tb->root_switch is NULL.

Risk Assessment

This can cause a kernel panic and denial of service on systems with Thunderbolt devices, especially during unplug or domain removal operations.

Recommendation

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix for CVE-2026-98688 or apply the appropriate patch provided by your distribution.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

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Original NVD description (English source)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: thunderbolt: Fix NULL dereference in tb_remove_work() There is a slight race between tb_remove_work() and tb_domain_remove() which leads to dereferencing a NULL tb->root_switch pointer inside tb_free_unplugged_xdomains(): Thread A Thread B tb_remove_work() tb_domain_remove() mutex_lock(&tb->lock) tb_stop() /* doesn't cancel a running callback */ cancel_delayed_work(&tcm->remove_work) ... tb_switch_remove(tb->root_switch) tb->root_switch = NULL mutex_unlock(&tb->lock) mutex_lock(&tb->lock) ... /* without checking ->root_switch */ tb_free_unplugged_xdomains(tb->root_switch) mutex_unlock(&tb->lock) Commit a8937f35cf39 ("thunderbolt: Remove XDomain from the bus without holding tb->lock") doesn't seem right to move tb_free_unplugged_xdomains() out of the &tb->lock section and the check for tb->root_switch, in particular. It states: For this reason separate removing the XDomain from the topology data structures (where we need the lock) from unregistering the device from the bus (where remove callbacks of the drivers are being called). tb_free_unplugged_xdomains() belongs to the former group of functions requiring the lock. And it also calls tb_xdomain_remove() which should only be called with &tb->lock held. Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Svace static analysis tool.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS