CVE-2026-97962

What the bug is

The representor vnic devlink health reporter is created and destroyed along the representor netdev (un)load path, which is not serialized by the devlink instance lock. Destroying the reporter from there triggers a devl_assert_locked() splat on driver unbind: WARNING: net/devlink/core.c:259 at devl_assert_locked+0x54/0x70, CPU#2: bash/3758 Modules linked in: mlx5_vdpa vringh vdpa mlx5_ib mlx5_fwctl mlx5_core ... CPU: 2 UID: 0 PID: 3758 Comm: bash Tainted: G W 6.19.0+ #1 PREEMPT Tainted: [W]=WARN Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), ... RIP: 0010:devl_assert_locked+0x54/0x70 Call Trace: <TASK> devl_health_reporter_destroy+0x3a/0x1b0 mlx5e_vport_rep_unload+0x12d/0x2b0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_eswitch_unregister_vport_reps+0x1b8/0x220 [mlx5_core] ? __esw_offloads_unload_rep+0x190/0x190 [mlx5_core] ? kernfs_remove_by_name_ns+0xc3/0xf0 device_release_driver_internal+0x3b2/0x560 unbind_store+0xce/0xf0 Move the reporter's lifecycle to the eswitch devlink port (un)register paths, which are already serialized by the devlink instance lock, and store the handle on mlx5_devlink_port. Use the port's mlx5_vport as the reporter priv since the diagnose callback only needs a device handle and a vport number, and mlx5_vport carries both and is initialized before any representor driver probes.

Where it lives

The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.

drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_rep.c
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_rep.h
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/esw/devlink_port.c
drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/eswitch.h

What this is

MELLANOX ETHERNET DRIVER (mlx5e)MAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/en_* · netdev@vger.kernel.org · Maintained

Kernel module

mlx5_core

Check it on the machine

grep -wE 'CONFIG_ETHERNET|CONFIG_MLX5_CORE|CONFIG_MLX5_ESWITCH|CONFIG_NET_VENDOR_MELLANOX' /boot/config-$(uname -r)

Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.

lsmod | grep -w mlx5_core

Prints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed.

• bookwormMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64
• trixieMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armel/rpi
• forky, sidMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64

M

a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it

Build switches

CONFIG_ETHERNET, CONFIG_MLX5_CORE, CONFIG_MLX5_ESWITCH, CONFIG_NET_VENDOR_MELLANOX

Reads as

all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.

From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages

Signals

Published

2026-09-25 (24 days ago)source

CVSS

no vector published, unrated

Attack vector

not published

EPSS

0.17%, higher than 5.4% of all CVEssource

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

unimportantsource

Subsystem

drivers/net

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

Introduced	Fixed in	Commit
6.4	6.18.53	dcaba72c85c1
6.4	7.2.7	d1fcff9b39ba
6.4	7.3	7f26a5e8040b