# CVE-2026-97506: crypto: ixp4xx - fix buffer chain unwind on allocation failure

> A null-pointer dereference in the Linux kernel ixp4xx crypto driver causes a crash when DMA allocation fails, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Not stated
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 3 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-104027, BELL-CVE-2026-97506, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97506, GHSA-mh76-mg38-r432, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97506

## What is CVE-2026-97506?

CVE-2026-97506 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 Sep 2026. 

### Official description

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

crypto: ixp4xx - fix buffer chain unwind on allocation failure

chainup_buffers() builds a linked list of buffer descriptors for a
scatterlist. If dma_pool_alloc() fails while constructing the list, the
current code sets buf to NULL and later dereferences it unconditionally
at the end of the function:

  buf->next = NULL;
  buf->phys_next = 0;

This can lead to a null-pointer dereference on allocation failure.

If the failure happens after part of the descriptor chain has already
been allocated and DMA-mapped, the partially constructed chain also
needs to be released.

Fix this by terminating the partially constructed chain on allocation
failure and letting the callers unwind it via their existing cleanup
paths. Also fix ablk_perform() to preserve the hook pointers before
checking for failure, so partially built chains can be freed correctly.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97506?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97506?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97506 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97506 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97506 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97506 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 Sep 2026. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97506 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-2026-97506/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97506/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97506
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97506
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97506

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97506/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.