# CVE-2026-53231: net: phy: don't try to setup PHY-driven SFP cages when using genphy

> A deadlock in the Linux kernel networking subsystem can cause a denial of service when using generic PHY drivers with SFP cages.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 25 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53231, GHSA-cmgx-qw5m-5j29, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53231

## What is CVE-2026-53231?

CVE-2026-53231 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: phy: don't try to setup PHY-driven SFP cages when using genphy

We don't have support for PHY-driver SFP cages with the genphy code.

On top of that, it was found by sashiko that running
sfp_bus_add_upstream() for genphy deadlocks, as for genphy the PHY
probing runs under RTNL, which isn't the case for non-genphy drivers.

This problem was reproduced, and does lead to a deadlock on RTNL.

Before the blamed commit, the phy_sfp_probe() call was made by
individual PHY drivers, so there was no way to get to the SFP probing
path when using genphy.

Let's therefore only run phy_sfp_probe when not using genphy.

Weakness: CWE-667 (Improper Locking)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53231?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53231?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53231 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53231 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-53231 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53231 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53231 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53231/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53231/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53231
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53231
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53231

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53231/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.