CVE-2026-97979

What the bug is

Commit 16dfa49406bc ("ice: Introduce new parameters in ice_sched_node") added a sched_node_ids xarray to the port info structure, but never called xa_destroy on it. Since xarrays can allocate internal memory, this can result in a memory leak even if every element in the xarray has been removed. The xarray is currently embedded in the port_info structure. This appears to have been done because its use is within functions that take the port_info as a primary argument. However, this complicates managing the lifecycle of the field. The port_info structure is allocated in ice_init_hw() using devm, and it is not released until the devm cleanup when the driver is unloaded. The ice_init_hw() function is called in many places, including devlink reload, and possibly during DDP load after updating the Tx scheduler layout. Adding a call of xa_destroy to the ice_deinit_hw() causes Sashiko to raise multiple concerns due to potential ordering issues and possible ways that port_info could be a dangling reference. To handle this, move the sched_node_ids out of port_info and into the hw structure. All users of the array already have a pointer to hw anyways, and there is only one sched_node_ids per adapter. While here, remove the overly verbose comment explaining the nature of the sched_node_ids xarray. Add the missing xa_destroy to the cleanup path and to ice_deinit_hw(), ensuring that we properly release the xarray memory. This was caught by Sashiko during development of unrelated code.

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/intel/ice/ice_common.c
drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/ice_sched.c
drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/ice_type.h

What this is

INTEL ETHERNET DRIVERSMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/net/ethernet/intel/*/ · intel-wired-lan@lists.osuosl.org · Maintained

Kernel module

ice

Check it on the machine

grep -wE 'CONFIG_ETHERNET|CONFIG_ICE|CONFIG_NET_VENDOR_INTEL' /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 ice

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, sid, bookworm · linux-6.12Mnot 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_ICE, CONFIG_NET_VENDOR_INTEL

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 6.2% of all CVEssource

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

not yet assignedsource

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
6.1.95	6.1.189	09a7cdf8fffb
6.2	6.6.158	c075a91fe576
6.2	6.12.111	44cdd6b7e036
6.2	6.18.53	f5463bc124c0
6.2	7.2.7	d6f38fb12069
6.2	7.3	53432c4c3e86

Debian advisories