Linux Kernel: security vulnerability (CVE-2026-98798)
Published Last modified Sources: Debian LTS, BSI, Msrc Update Guide, CVE.org
What is affected, what to do
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bcmgenet: fix NULL dereference in set_coalesce before first open The Rx ring priv and index are only set in bcmgenet_init_rx_ring(), which runs at open. Setting the Rx coalescing parameters on an interface that was never opened, e.g.
Update Linux Kernel to version 6.1.191, Linux Kernel to version 6.6.160, Linux Kernel to version 6.12.113.
- Affected
- Linux Kernel
lt 4.17..6.1.191 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.2..6.6.160 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.7..6.12.113 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.13..6.18.56 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.19..7.2.10
- Linux Kernel
- Fixed in
- Linux Kernel
6.1.191 - Linux Kernel
6.6.160 - Linux Kernel
6.12.113 - Linux Kernel
6.18.56 - Linux Kernel
7.2.10 - Linux Kernel
7.3
- Linux Kernel
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Metrics
4.4
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3
4.4
CVSS v3
Severity Medium on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: Debian LTS, BSI, Msrc Update Guide, CVE.org
0.2 %
EPSS score
Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 6.6
Show all metrics
- Severity
- Medium
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 52.35 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 4.4 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 4.4
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 0.2 %
- Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 6.6
- Low — this CVE sits in the lower 10% of all CVEs scored today.
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bcmgenet: fix NULL dereference in set_coalesce before first open The Rx ring priv and index are only set in bcmgenet_init_rx_ring(), which runs at open. Setting the Rx coalescing parameters on an interface that was never opened, e.g. "ethtool -C eth0 rx-usecs 50", dereferences a NULL ring->priv. The oops happens with RTNL held, so networking stays stuck until a reboot: Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address 0000000000002788 pc : bcmgenet_set_rx_coalesce.isra.0+0x10/0x88 lr : bcmgenet_set_coalesce+0xe8/0x180 Call trace: bcmgenet_set_rx_coalesce.isra.0+0x10/0x88 (P) __ethnl_set_coalesce.isra.0+0x490/0x570 ethnl_set_coalesce+0x48/0xc0 ethnl_default_set_doit+0xf4/0x230 genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0xe8/0x160 genl_rcv_msg+0x220/0x2a0 netlink_rcv_skb+0x68/0x140 genl_rcv+0x40/0x60 netlink_unicast+0x338/0x3c0 netlink_sendmsg+0x19c/0x3f8 __sock_sendmsg+0x64/0xc0 __sys_sendto+0x124/0x198 __arm64_sys_sendto+0x30/0x48 Set priv and index at probe. Writing the registers while the interface is down is harmless because open resets the MAC and bcmgenet_init_rx_coalesce() reapplies the stored values. It was observed on a Raspberry Pi CM4, but should apply to all other genet devices.
Source: Debian LTS Advisories, BSI WID Portal, BSI CSAF, Microsoft Security Update Guide, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST)
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
|
|
Vendors and products
Affected operating systems
| Linux | debian | linux-6.12 | bookworm |
References & sources
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/0d867b91598b6ed2f75998c34f4e2869631da31e
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/19419faf58dfe5bcc8a9e60e622976c5f8e3ddc1
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/2294b62eaec6fd3c76a261d287f66641eeafd5f0
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/d870102b5425390cab42eebbf3d19ec6a43c6734
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/213ff02ab26a4543ef02b4db393bbdd5fa5679a7
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/51e76b4113e5147329ed8dd232375bf11fd34044
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
Record modifiedLinux
Show 2 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98798.json">CVE-2026-98798</a>Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/51e76b4113e5147329ed8dd232375bf11fd34044Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Record modifiedLinux
Show 2 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98798.json">CVE-2026-98798</a>Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/213ff02ab26a4543ef02b4db393bbdd5fa5679a7Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Record modifiedLinux
1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Affected versions (publisher) added —Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98798.json">CVE-2026-98798</a>Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
ReceivedLinux
Description added or changed
New references:Show 6 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Description added —In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bcmgenet: fix NULL dereference in set_coalesce before first open The Rx ring priv and index are only set in bcmgenet_init_rx_ring(), which runs at open. Setting the Rx coalescing parameters on an interface that was never opened, e.g. "ethtool -C eth0 rx-usecs 50", dereferences a NULL ring->priv. The oops happens with RTNL held, so networking stays stuck until a reboot: Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address 0000000000002788 pc : bcmgenet_set_rx_coalesce.isra.0+0x10/0x88 lr : bcmgenet_set_coalesce+0xe8/0x180 Call trace: bcmgenet_set_rx_coalesce.isra.0+0x10/0x88 (P) __ethnl_set_coalesce.isra.0+0x490/0x570 ethnl_set_coalesce+0x48/0xc0 ethnl_default_set_doit+0xf4/0x230 genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0xe8/0x160 genl_rcv_msg+0x220/0x2a0 netlink_rcv_skb+0x68/0x140 genl_rcv+0x40/0x60 netlink_unicast+0x338/0x3c0 netlink_sendmsg+0x19c/0x3f8 __sock_sendmsg+0x64/0xc0 __sys_sendto+0x124/0x198 __arm64_sys_sendto+0x30/0x48 Set priv and index at probe. Writing the registers while the interface is down is harmless because open resets the MAC and bcmgenet_init_rx_coalesce() reapplies the stored values. It was observed on a Raspberry Pi CM4, but should apply to all other genet devices.Affected versions (publisher) added —New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98798.json">CVE-2026-98798</a>Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0d867b91598b6ed2f75998c34f4e2869631da31eReference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/19419faf58dfe5bcc8a9e60e622976c5f8e3ddc1Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2294b62eaec6fd3c76a261d287f66641eeafd5f0Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d870102b5425390cab42eebbf3d19ec6a43c6734Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2026-98798"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2026-98798.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2026-98798 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>