CVE-2026-97572 bnxt_en: Propagate RX ring init failures in bnxt_init_nic()
A Linux kernel bug in the bnxt_en driver fails to propagate initialization errors, potentially causing a null dereference and denial of service.
- 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-2026-97572?
CVE-2026-97572 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 RX ring init failures in bnxt_init_nic()
bnxt_init_rx_rings() returns an error when bnxt_alloc_one_rx_ring() fails, but bnxt_init_nic() discards that return value and calls bnxt_init_chip(), which enables TPA.
If an allocation fails, this could leave rxr->rx_tpa[] partially zeroed and TPA would be enabled over an array with zeroed entries. This would lead to a zeroed DMA address being handed out if the agg_idx is translated to a SW index at a zeroed entry.
Fix this by propagating the error out of bnxt_init_nic(). Both callers already check its return value and unwind with bnxt_free_skbs() and bnxt_free_mem(), which tolerate a partially initialized RX ring.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97572?
How do I fix CVE-2026-97572?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-97572 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97572 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-104741, BELL-CVE-2026-97572, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97572, GHSA-675v-24qc-j383, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97572.