KernelScan.io

HIGH

octeon_ep_vf RxBuffer Deref

CVE-2026-46188

CVSS 7.5 / 10.0 KernelScan AI

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

01

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: octeon_ep_vf: add NULL check for napi_build_skb() napi_build_skb() can return NULL on allocation failure. In __octep_vf_oq_process_rx(), the result is used directly without a NULL check in both the single-buffer and multi-fragment paths, leading to a NULL pointer dereference. Add NULL checks after both napi_build_skb() calls, properly advancing descriptors and consuming remaining fragments on failure.

02

Engine v0.2.0

Risk summary

Remote attackers can trigger a kernel NULL pointer dereference in the Marvell Octeon EP VF network driver during packet reception under memory pressure. This leads to a kernel panic and system crash, causing denial of service for all users.

Affecteddrivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeon_ep_vf/octep_vf_rx.c (Marvell Octeon EP VF network driver)

Vulnerability analysis

The vulnerability occurs in __octep_vf_oq_process_rx() where napi_build_skb() can return NULL during memory allocation failure, but the code directly uses the returned pointer without validation. This happens in both single-buffer and multi-fragment receive paths. The fix adds proper NULL checks after both napi_build_skb() calls and implements cleanup logic to advance descriptors and consume remaining fragments when allocation fails, preventing the NULL dereference while maintaining proper driver state.

03

BranchFixed inPatch commit
6.126.12.8860246cdd4c51
6.186.18.30b0f4711b426a
7.07.0.76fef6640bbf3
mainline7.1-rc1dd66b4285470