CVE-2026-97571 bnxt_en: Propagate TPA buffer allocation failures in bnxt_queue_mem_alloc()
A missing error check in the bnxt_en network driver can lead to a null pointer dereference and system crash when TPA buffer allocation fails.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-97571?
CVE-2026-97571 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 25 Sep 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: Propagate TPA buffer allocation failures in bnxt_queue_mem_alloc()
bnxt_alloc_one_tpa_info_data() returns -ENOMEM as soon as one allocation fails. This leaves the remaining rxr->rx_tpa[] entries zeroed.
bnxt_queue_mem_alloc() discards that return value, so the partially initialized ring is installed by bnxt_queue_start().
Since the agg_id is picked by the hardware and bnxt_alloc_agg_idx maps it to a SW index in rxr->rx_tpa[], it is possible that an uninitialized slot can be chosen which would hand a zero DMA address to the device.
Fix this by checking the return value of bnxt_alloc_one_tpa_info_data and unwinding, freeing the ring buffers.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97571?
How do I fix CVE-2026-97571?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-97571 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97571 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-97571, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97571, GHSA-5rwh-p838-cqxj, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97571.