# CVE-2026-97978: eth: ice: don't dereference pointers from TP_printk()

> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel ice driver tracing code can cause a system crash when trace events are processed.

- **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:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-104172, BELL-CVE-2026-97978, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97978, GHSA-3wqj-8258-77x5, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97978

## What is CVE-2026-97978?

CVE-2026-97978 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:

eth: ice: don't dereference pointers from TP_printk()

After forwarding net-next during the v7.3 merge window we started
seeing:

  TRACE EVENT ERROR: Event ice_tx_dim_work has double dereference in TP_printk: REC->q_vector->tx.tx_ring->q_index
  WARNING: kernel/trace/trace_events.c:420 at test_double_dereference.cold+0x39/0x4b

this is due to extra checks added in tracing subsystem in
commit b5cc230af5e5 ("tracing: Warn when an event dereferences a pointer in TP_printk()").

Printing happens long after the event was recorded, by which point
the pointers may be invalid (the ring or the dim instance).
Copy the eight scalars into the event instead.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97978?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97978?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97978 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97978 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97978 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97978 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97978 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-2026-97978/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97978/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97978
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97978
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97978

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97978/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.