# CVE-2026-68375: bnxt_en: Handle partially initialized auxiliary devices

> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel bnxt_en driver can cause a system crash when auxiliary device initialization fails.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-68375, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-68375, GHSA-77xg-jxfp-c69m, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-68375

## What is CVE-2026-68375?

CVE-2026-68375 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 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:

bnxt_en: Handle partially initialized auxiliary devices

bnxt_aux_devices_init() calls auxiliary_device_init() before all fields
used by bnxt_aux_dev_release() are initialized.  After
auxiliary_device_init() succeeds, later errors must unwind with
auxiliary_device_uninit(), which invokes the release callback.

The release callback assumes that aux_priv->id, aux_priv->edev,
edev->net and edev->ulp_tbl are all populated.  If allocation fails
after auxiliary_device_init(), the release path can otherwise dereference
or clear partially initialized state.

Allocate and attach the bnxt_en_dev and ULP table before calling
auxiliary_device_init(), so the release callback only sees a fully
initialized auxiliary private object.  If auxiliary_device_init() itself
fails, free those allocations directly because device_initialize() has not
run and the release callback will not be invoked.

This issue was found by a static analysis checker and confirmed by manual
source review.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-68375?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-68375?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-68375 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-68375 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-68375 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-68375 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 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-2026-68375 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-68375/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68375/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-68375
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68375
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-68375

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68375/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.